MINSK — Parliamentary elections being held in Belarus on Sunday will be closely watched by the West to see how much leeway President Alexander Lukashenko will allow opposition candidates while keeping his grip on power. Lukashenko, 65, has ruled the east European country with an iron fist for a quarter of a century, but has begun allowing some opposition in a bid to foster ties with the West as relations with Moscow stutter. In September, the U.S. and Belarus announced they would resume ambassadorial relations for the first time since 2008. (Full Story)Washington also signaled it might further scale back sanctions on Minsk depending on how this month's parliamentary elections and the 2020 presidential vote are conducted.

Source: International New York Times November 17, 2019 03:22 UTC