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Political novice Svetlana Tichanovskaya has become a rising star of the opposition in her country, ruled by Lukashenko since 1994, sometimes called “the last dictator of Europe.”
In an interview with the AFP news agency in central Minsk after the tense campaign, the 37-year-old candidate said that she felt something had changed in her country before the elections.
“People are waking up, rediscovering self-esteem,” Tikhanovskaya said, wearing a white bracelet that had become a symbol of opposition.
Tichanovskaya decided to run when her husband, blogger Sergei Tichanovsky, 41, was arrested and was unable to register for the presidency in time.
The candidate said she predicted that Lukashenko, who was already in his sixth term, would try to manipulate the elections.
“We will not be able to avoid counterfeiting. In recent days, we have seen the bold manipulation of this election. [vykstant išankstiniam balsavimui]. There is no hope for them [balsus] number honestly. We have to be realistic, “he said.
9.5 million in a populated country, early voting began on Tuesday. Official figures show that more than 22 percent have already voted in recent days. voters.
“We don’t want blood”
Tichanovskaya said the opposition would perform an alternative calculation and know if the election was rigged. However, he did not urge his followers to take to the streets.
“Right now, everyone has to decide for themselves,” he said, noting that by suppressing disobedience, Lukashenko would only fuel protests.
Reuters / Photo by Scanpix / Alexander Lukashenko
“They are doing everything possible to make the peaceful protests bloody. And I don’t want that,” the candidate emphasized.
Speaking Russian and English, S. Tikhanovskaya, who has an English teacher training, said: “People are tired. Twenty-six is enough. “
He stressed that if an alternative candidate won the vote, the 65-year-old president would have to “withdraw peacefully” and allow the country “to move forward with a new leader.”
“It just came to our attention then. We don’t want blood,” Tichanovskaya said.
He decided to run only in May and registered, although the electoral commission rejected two stronger opposition candidates.
Although Tichanovskaya lacks political experience, she quickly became the leading figure in her country’s opposition, and thousands of supporters gathered for her campaign rallies.
AFP / Photo by Scanpix / Svetlana Tichanovskaya
Ms. Tikhanovskaya said that she was participating in the elections to protect her husband from prison and to ensure the freedom that her country so badly needed.
His two-year-old daughter and 10-year-old son were sent abroad for all the anger.
Speaking of a man and children, the candidate was overwhelmed.
Tichanovskaya said the campaign was difficult for her and that it was painful to break up with the children, including a son with a hearing impairment.
“I’m scared, I’m scared every day,” he admitted.
The Incarnation of Hope
Her husband is also under “tremendous pressure” in prison, but Ms Tikhanovskaya said she had no doubt that she would endure it.
“He believes in Belarusians and he believes in me,” he said.
He accused Lukashenko of indifferent indifference towards his people during the coronavirus pandemic, which the president initially denied as a hoax.
When people began to die in the country and doctors ran out of security measures, Lukashenko urged Belarusians to use vodka and drive tractors to resist the disease, Tikhanovskaya noted.
“It really affected me,” he said. “He says he loves his people and his country, but he says those things.”
Tihanovskaya invited Lukashenko to meet for a direct debate, but he refused and accused the candidate of representing Russia’s interests.
She denied the accusations. “If they had any evidence, I’m sure they would have provided it long ago,” Tikhanovskaya said.
The candidate said she wanted to create a new Belarus in which she does not see herself as a politician but as a symbol.
“I have become the embodiment of people’s hopes: they yearn for change,” he emphasized.
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