In this episode, our host Joshua Coe speaks with journalist Mark Temnycky, who wrote for New Eastern Europe about the recent re-election of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.

Nicknamed “Europe’s last dictator”, Lukashenko won another term in office last month with a proclaimed 87% of the vote. But election observers say there has not been a free and fair election in the country since he came to power in 1994.

Temnycky tells us about Lukashenko, his close ties to Russia, and the Belarusian opposition — both inside and outside the country.

Read “Thirty years of Lukashenka” and “The 2025 Belarusian presidential election” by Mark Temnycky, published by New Eastern Europe.

In this podcast series, we look at the region from different angles and perspectives, attempting to capture its diversity and understand emerging trends. Above all, we want to give a voice to a region that is often talked to rather than listened to.

The VoiCEE is brought to you by a network of independent English-language media in Central and Eastern Europe: Reporting Democracy, VSquare, New Eastern Europe, Notes from Poland, Kafkadesk, Insight Hungary, Internews Ukraine, Transitions, Ukraine World.

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