As Belarus votes in tightly controlled elections, its leader accuses the West of fueling unrest

By YURAS KARMANAU
Associated Press

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — The authoritarian leader of Belarus has accused the West of trying to foment protests during parliamentary and local elections this month in order to undermine his rule, while the country’s opposition leader-in-exile has called for a boycott of the vote. President Alexander Lukashenko, who has ruled Belarus for nearly 30 years, charged Tuesday that the West will try to use “new triggers to destabilize the society” after the vote on Feb. 25. Early balloting began Tuesday. This is the first election in Belarus since the contentious 2020 presidential vote that handed Lukashenko his sixth term in office and triggered months of protests.