Belarus excludes the president's greatest challenge by choice

Belarus prevents the incumbent president's main challenger in elections next month.

It is clear, according to the Belarusian electoral authority has announced the approved candidates for the elections 9. august.

President Alexander Lukashenko has been in power for 26 years and is seeking re-election. He has been called 'Europe's last dictator' for its tight grip on power in the former soviet republic.

the electoral authority on Tuesday approved Lukashenko and five other candidates, but failed to approve Viktor Babariko, a wealthy banker, which was regarded as a topkandidat.

Babariko stopped recently as head of a russiskejet bank to provide up to the election. In the last month, he was then arrested in connection with the korruptionsanklager against the bank.

the european UNION has condemned the arrest and hinted that it was politically motivated.

Tuesday night is the big demonstrations broke out in the Belarusian capital, Minsk, against the exclusion of Babariko.

Lukashenko has recently been squeezed from several sides. The local has coronavirusset hit Belarus hard.

the President started with to easily take coronapandemien, but it has hampered an already limping economy and aggravated public frustrations.

Outside the country's borders, there is also crunch. Belarus goes the balancing act between the EU and the West on the one hand and Russia on the other.

at the same time to score the president a record low in the polls, and the citizens stood in long queues to give their signature to the opposition.

Thus it is a subject Lukashenko, seeking re-election.

the Elections in Belarus has over time been criticized for not living up to democratic standards. Lukashenko has won the elections big in the country between Russia and Poland, with around 9.5 million inhabitants.