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“Obviously he has to withdraw,” Macron told the French weekly Journal du Dimanche before his visit to Lithuania and Latvia, which border Belarus.
“It is a crisis of power, of an authoritarian government that cannot accept the logic of democracy and that seeks to survive by force. It is clear that Mr. Lukashenko must resign. “
Opposition leader Sviatlana Cichanouskaya has claimed that since the August 9 elections, despite Lukashenko’s claim that he had won a landslide victory, tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets in Belarus to protest.
The Lukashenko regime has taken brutal measures against the protesters, which have provoked condemnation from the West but support from Moscow.
He made a secret inauguration this week, sparking new demonstrations and a new wave of Western criticism.
Macron said Sunday that “the courage of the protesters had impressed him.”
“They know how to risk participating in demonstrations every weekend, but nevertheless they do not give up their efforts to restore democracy in their country, which they have taken away from them for so long,” he said.
“The women who hold marches every Saturday deserve our special respect,” added the French head of state.
According to an NGO, more than 90 people, mostly women, were arrested during opposition demonstrations on Saturday.
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