The Creation of a Dictator: The Path to the Lukashenka Presidency in Belarus

Abstract The paper examines the political situation in Belarus in the early 1990s and specifically the emergence of Aliaksandr Lukashenka as a leading actor. It asks the question: could the rise of Lukashenka, a future dictator, have been prevented? It argues that there were a number of occasions when a failure to act or unite prevented any sustained attempts to prevent Lukashenka from becoming Belarus’ first and only president. Ironically, a group of young politicians perceived Lukashenka as someone who could be exploited for their own political goals. Ultimately, they paid the price by being physically eliminated or targeted as political rivals. Others backed Lukashenka but without political ambitions and made up his most prominent coterie members.