Belarus, an ally of Russia, is organizing a referendum on Sunday February 27 to modify its Constitution. According to several observers the result of the referendum leaves little doubt, the yes should win and should allow Alexander Lukashenko to further extend his stay in power.
The amendments to the Constitution provide for the maintenance in power for two additional terms of the strong man of Minsk. In power since 1994, re-elected for a sixth term in a disputed election in August 2020, Alexander Lukashenko could thus consolidate its hold on the country until 2035. This referendum is qualified as illegitimate by opposition.
The new Constitution should also give more powers to the People’s Assembly, a sort of parliament made up of those close to Lukashenko. And another crucial point concerns the modification of article 18 which defines Belarus as a “neutral” state which will not harbor any nuclear weapons.
After the breakup of the USSR, Belarus had, like other former Soviet republics, renounced the nuclear weapons deployed on its territory under American pressure and agreed to return them to Moscow. The country could therefore, if the text is adopted, legally harbor Russian nuclear weapons on its soil, while Russia is pursuing his invasion of Ukraine.
Emmanuel Macron called the Belarusian president on Saturday to underline “the seriousness of a decision which would consist in authorizing Russia to deploy nuclear weapons on Belarusian soil”. He also asked him “to demand as soon as possible the withdrawal of Russian troops from his soil, which are leading to a unilateral and unjust war”.
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