Is this the end of Europe's Last Dictator? In this episode, Matt spoke with Aliaksandr aka Ales Herasimenka, a researcher at the University of Westminster and previous guest on the show about the ongoing presidential elections in Belarus, where embattled president Alexander Lukashenko faces the most organized opposition in the history of his 26 years as president. A new generation has rallied around the 37-year-old English teacher Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who promises to usher in a new era of democracy to Belarus. The final day of voting is Sunday, August 9th, after which no one is exactly sure what to expect following an election campaign that has already broken all the norms.

NOTE: This episode was recorded on August 5th, 2020 via Zoom.

CREDITS
Co-Producer: Matthew Orr (Connect: facebook.com/orrrmatthew)
Co-Producer: Tom Rehnquist (Connect: @RehnquistTom)
Associate Producer: Lera Toropin
Associate Producer: Cullan Bendig
Associate Producer: Samantha Farmer
Associate Producer: Milena D-K
Assistant Producer/Social Media Manager: Kathryn Yegorov-Crate
Recording, Editing, and Sound Design: Michelle Daniel

Music Producer: Charlie Harper (Connect: facebook.com/charlie.harper.1485 Instagram: @charlieharpermusic) www.charlieharpermusic.com (Main Theme by Charlie Harper and additional Background music by Charlie Harper, John Bartmann, and Blue Dot Sessions) Tikhanovskaya sound bites from BBC World News coverage.

Executive Producer & Creator: Michelle Daniel (Connect: facebook.com/mdanielgeraci Instagram: @michelledaniel86) www.msdaniel.com

DISCLAIMER: The views expressed on this episode do not necessarily reflect those of the show or the University of Texas at Austin.

Special Guest: Aliaksandr Herasimenka.