Belarus Opposition Returns to Parliament After 12-Year Exile
- International observers call elections partially transparent
- Dissenters claim seats as Belarus seeks better ties with West
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Opposition groups in Belarus, a country once dubbed “Europe’s last dictatorship” by the U.S., won seats in parliament for the first time since 2004 as President Alexander Lukashenko seeks to mend ties with the West to help his battered economy.
Allies of Lukashenko, who has wielded an iron grip in the former Soviet republic of 9.5 million since 1994, still dominated Sunday’s election, taking 108 of parliament’s 110 seats. Opponents of the government -- a member of the pro-Western United Civil Party and an independent from the non-governmental Belarusian Language Society -- won a mandate each. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe saw some limited progress toward a more democratic election compared to previous campaigns.