Another fraudulent election has ensured that Europe’s last dictatorship remains a dictatorship.
The country of Belarus is the last European regime left over from the Cold War that is still ruled by an iron-fisted despot. Thanks to this weekend’s election-a farcical throwback to Soviet era elections-President Alexander Lukashenko won an overwhelming reelection bid with 82.6 percent of the vote despite a populous discontent against him.
While this does not bode well for the peoples of Belarus, it will (sadly) continue to provide travelers with a rare glimpse into the totalitarian Soviet past. Visiting Belarus is much like visiting the old Soviet Union; there is still censorship, an active KGB, and riot police who cracked heads when Lukashenko’s opposition protested the election results.
Stay tuned, however. If you missed out on the government-toppling, anti-communist demonstrations which swept through Eastern Europe in 1989, keep your eye on Belarus-you may just have the opportunity to relive history.