Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko stated in an interview published on Friday that he has no intention of seeking another term in office and dismissed claims that he is preparing his son to take over leadership.
Lukashenko, a long-standing ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has ruled Belarus for over 30 years under an authoritarian regime and was re-elected to a seventh term in January.
Speaking to TIME magazine, the 70-year-old leader said he was “not planning” to run again, though he joked that U.S. President Donald Trump, at nearly 80, was still “looking decent.”
He emphasised that his successor should not make abrupt changes but should continue the country’s development to prevent any “revolutionary collapse.”
Addressing persistent rumours that he is grooming his son, Nikolai, as a successor, Lukashenko firmly denied the speculation.
“No, he is not a successor. I knew you’d ask that. No, no, no. Ask him yourself- he might actually be offended,” he told TIME, with excerpts later published in Russian by state news agency Belta.
Lukashenko faced massive protests in 2020 after an election widely condemned by the opposition and Western governments as fraudulent. His government responded with a crackdown, imprisoning or exiling opposition leaders.
Since mid-2024, several hundred people jailed for "extremism" and other politically motivated charges have been released- a move analysts interpret as an attempt to reduce Belarus’s isolation from the West. However, human rights groups report that nearly 1,200 political prisoners remain in custody.
Lukashenko continues to deny the existence of political prisoners in Belarus.
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U.S. military forces have seized a sanctioned oil tanker in the Indian Ocean after tracking the vessel from the Caribbean Sea, the Pentagon said on Monday.
U.S. President Donald Trump has criticised American freestyle skier Hunter Hess after the athlete said he felt conflicted about representing the United States at the Winter Olympics in Italy, sparking a public clash that highlights growing political tensions surrounding the Games.
U.S. skiing great Lindsey Vonn underwent surgery in an Italian hospital on Sunday after her attempt to win Olympic downhill gold ended in a violent crash just seconds into the race at the Milano Cortina Winter Games.
Police in riot gear pushed toward a group of protesters who launched fireworks, flares and smoke bombs during a demonstration in Milan on Saturday, as the city hosted events on the first full day of the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics.
The death toll from the collapse of two residential buildings in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli has risen to 15, state media said on Monday, as rescue teams wrapped up search operations and officials warned that more people could still be missing.
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U.S. military forces have seized a sanctioned oil tanker in the Indian Ocean after tracking the vessel from the Caribbean Sea, the Pentagon said on Monday.
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Chinese authorities have quietly signalled a shift in strategy, instructing some state-owned banks to rein in their purchases of U.S. government bonds.
Convicted Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell refused to answer questions before Congress, while her lawyer said she could clear President Donald Trump of wrongdoing if granted clemency.
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