To his critics, it was a glaring example of how Mr. Lukashenko controls the political system in Belarus, the former Soviet republic he has run since the fall of the Iron Curtain. For years, the 65-year-old longtime Moscow ally has appointed judges and key leaders of the security services and state media. He handpicked the leader of the election commission, who has been in the role since 1996. Among his most feared tools is the country’s secret policy, which still carries its old Soviet-era name, the State Security Committee, or KGB. Across town, a rival rally that the interior ministry said grew to more than 65,000 gathered in support of Mr. Lukashenko.

Source: Wall Street Journal August 16, 2020 15:23 UTC