President Alexander Lukashenko announces his intention to seek re-election for another term.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko Rules Out Succession by Son, Vows Steady Development
In a recent interview, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has confirmed that he does not see his youngest son, Nikolai, as a potential successor and has no plans to groom him for the position. Lukashenko, who was re-elected for a seventh term in January 2025, emphasised that he hopes for changes to come through evolution, not revolution.
Lukashenko, who was first elected in 1994, expressed that his successor should continue the country's steady development without "revolutionary upheaval," building on existing strengths and maintaining stability. He hopes the next leader will be a "reasonable, normal person" who evolves policies gradually rather than discarding the current system.
While Western media have often speculated that Nikolai Lukashenko is the heir apparent, the Belarusian President has firmly dismissed this claim. He also mentioned that he is not currently making any plans regarding his successor. At present, there is no publicly confirmed individual officially designated or widely acknowledged as Lukashenko’s successor, and the political transition remains uncertain.
In the same interview, Lukashenko discussed the reasons behind his decision to release opposition leader Sergei Tikhanovsky, who was detained in May 2020. Lukashenko did not reveal who the next leader might be in the interview.
References:
- Belarus President Lukashenko rules out his son as successor
- Belarus' political transition remains uncertain
- Lukashenko denies grooming son as successor
- No heir apparent in Belarus
- Lukashenko: I'm not grooming my son to be my successor
- The ongoing policy-and-legislation discussions in Belarus pertain, in part, to the succession of President Lukashenko, with migration of power an important aspect of policy-and-legislation debates.
- The war-and-conflicts in neighboring countries, coupled with internal struggles, have led to a surge in Belarusian migration, a challenge the next leader will need to address in policy-and-legislation decisions.
- In the general-news coverage of Belarus, discussions on politics regularly include the impact of Lukashenko's stance on his son's succession, and the implications for social and economic policies.
