“The renewal of Lukashenko by Lukashenko himself”: the next presidential election agitates the opposition in Belarus

“We all understand that in dictatorships, this ‘event’ organized by the dictators is a circus, an imitation, a ritual, but it has nothing to do with elections. In our case, it will be the reappointment of Lukashenko by Lukashenko himself“, Svetlana Tsikhanouskaya told the Halifax International Security Forum. “The repressions that we have suffered for four years have intensified. We see how the KGB (the Belarusian security services, Editor’s note) and the OMON (the riot police, Editor’s note) are already training to suppress any uprising“, she continues.

Following the repression and numerous exiles, a real opposition was set up abroad. “We have restored our media, we have restored our civil society (abroad) and we have many networks of volunteers in the country who provide us with information. There are people within Lukashenko’s system who are leaking information to us, so he is afraid of being betrayed constantly“, explains Tsikhanouskaya. However, the opponent has only faint hopes for real political change. “I don’t want people to make sacrifices in vain. These so-called elections will not change anything politically for the Belarusian people.”