Presidential candidate Alexander Lukashenka dominates information space

Lukashenka has waived the right to appear on the state TV with his election programme as a presidential candidate and has not yet filed a request to participate in the TV debates with other candidates. However, according to the Belarusian Association of Journalists Monitoring, the incumbent president dominates in the state media coverage of the elections, occupying up to 80% of the broadcast and of the state newspapers’ space. The head of state is attempting to keep a large distance between him and other candidates and is not participating in the campaigning events. However, his team has pursued an aggressive campaign, including covert propaganda. The main objective of the incumbent president’s campaign is to create an impression of inevitability of Lukashenka’s re-election.