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Belarus 'elects' Lukashenka again

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  • Belarus 'elects' Lukashenka again

    No surprises here... according to the reports Lukashenka was elected President for the fifth time by some 83% of the vote on a turn out of 86%. Unlike the last election in 2010 none of the candidates standing against was arrested this time whereas in 2010 6 Opposition candidates were arrested. Some political prisoners were actually released earlier this year which some hoped was a sign of better things. This lead the EU to offer the relaxation of some sanctions if this election was conducted in a freer manner. However the OSCE says "There were "significant problems" in the counting and tabulation of votes..." (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-34499387).

    Meanwhile he seems to be grooming his son to take over, though the son, said to be the son of one his mistresses - his former Doctor - is still young.

    Click image for larger version

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    This matters because of Putin's desire for a new airbase in Belarus which would make the Baltics virtually indefensible via the 'Suwałki gap' which some have compared to the old 'Fulda Gap' (http://foreignpolicy.com/2015/09/29/...putin-us-army/). This refers to the narrow corridor connecting Poland (Suwałki) with Lithuania (Kaunas - Vilnius) with Kaliningrad to the north west and Belarus to the south east. There have been demonstrations against this Muscovite airbase in Belarus and some fear it would bring into involvement if greater hostilities occurred; others note the example of the Muscovite naval base in Crimea and fear it could be used for a 'little green men' attempt to completely overthrow any Belarus autonomy. So far Lukashenka has resisted Muscovite pressure regarding the airbase. He also refuses to recognise the 'annexation' of Crimea presumably for self interested reasons.

    There can be little doubt that Lukashenka is a deeply corrupt nasty piece of work but would it be better to deal with him nicely for the greater good, perhaps ignoring the 'significant problems in the counting and tabulation of votes' for the greater good or do you refuse to deal with the any devil until they change their ways and risk the consequences?
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