Lukashenko's long rule over Belarus looks set to survive 2020. What about 2021? 7 Protests against Alexander Lukashenko in Belarus / AP With opposition leader forced to flee to Lithuania, what does the future for Belarus hold? Radio Free Europe reports. Ever since he came to power in 1994, Alexander Lukashenko has used controlled elections and other levers at his disposal to prolong his own power and to restrain or eliminate rivals -- in some cases literally, according to those who believe he was behind the unsolved disappearances of several opponents. The August 9 presidential election that handed the 66-year-old former state-farm manager a sixth straight term was no exception, with the most viable potential challengers barred from the ballot and in some cases jailed -- all but one, in fact, who was apparently deemed no threat.