May 19, Pozirk. Just 2,113 Belarusians voted in the opposition’s Coordination Council election held from May 12 to 18, the organizers said.
The election was marred by cyberattacks and other security concerns.
Arciom Bruchan, the Council’s speaker, identified cyberattacks, propaganda and information operations originating from Minsk, along with the depoliticization of society and transnational repression, as major challenges. The activist called for the Council’s reform after the election.
Voting began at noon on May 12 after long delays triggered by a security alert and a cyberattack on the online voting platform, which forced the organizers to migrate to another platform.
As many as 174 candidates representing nine political groups were running for the 80-member Coordination Council.
Belarusian authorities branded all groups as “extremist” in an attempt to disrupt the voting.
The Coordination Council is a non-governmental body established in 2020 to facilitate a democratic transfer of power in Belarus. The Council originally had 64 core members with a seven-member leadership board. Amid the post-election crackdown in Belarus, many of the Council’s members were arrested or forced into exile.
In 2022 and 2023, the Coordination Council was re-established abroad as a body consisting of representatives of various pro-democracy groups in exile.
In May 2024, the Council held its first direct online election, with more than 6,700 citizens of Belarus reportedly taking part in it.
