A Turning Point?: Belarus Prepares for Presidential Election

Belarus, long labeled as the last remaining dictatorship in Europe, is preparing to hold the most consequential presidential election in the country’s young history on August 9, 2020. President Alexander Lukashenka is running for a sixth consecutive term but faces a high degree of unpopularity and mounting levels of civil unrest in the days before the vote. This course will prepare you to read a Russian language news article and watch a Russian language report that takes a look at the circumstances in Belarus leading up to the election, the challenges facing Lukashenka as he tries to maintain power, and the strategy of the opposition figures trying to remove him from office. Some sample vocabulary from the course includes: соперник, соперница – rival, opponent; соблазн – temptation, lure; русификация  – Russification; переворот – revolt, upheaval; уровень жизни – standard of living