Telegram Revolution - An Analysis of Political Instability of Belarus in 2020
The political instability in Belarus during and after the “2020 Presidential Election” and the extensive use of Telegram Instant Messenger as the media to fuel the uprising became a large discussion point across the world political discourse. This article aims to analyse the impact of Telegram Messenger on political instability during and after the election. This article analyses causal variables for the instability such as the geopolitics of Belarus, the COVID-19 pandemic induced problems, the democratic transition in the post-Soviet space, the economic hardship in Belarus, and the non-transparent political process. The analysis revealed that the accumulation of political power by few elites precipitated political frustration among people. The non-democratic, non-transparent, unfair electoral practice was the immediate cause that led to political instability. Telegram acted as the principal communication channel throughout the demonstrations and had a great role in sustaining the uprising. That is the reason why leading political analysts credited the uprising to Telegram Messenger and hence termed it the “Telegram Revolution”.