Hard-line President Alexander Lukashenko has led Belarus for 30 years and intends to seek yet another term in office. The former collective farm manager has harshly stifled the opposition with arrests, beatings and long prison terms. He also has antagonized the West with human rights abuses and a close relationship with Moscow. Much of the Belarus economy is under state control. His most recent reelection in 2020 — one that was widely denounced as fraudulent at home and abroad — saw massive protests, leading to a crackdown that resulted in opposition figures imprisoned or fleeing abroad.
