Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya has ruled the country people have changed and will no longer accept President Alexander Lukashenko, whose controversial re-election has sparked in recent polls mass protests demanding his removal.
In an exclusive interview with Al Jazeera on Saturday, Tikhanovskaya, who is in exile in neighboring Lithuania, said Lukashenko should “go away” and “it is better for everyone”.
“Sooner or later he will have to leave. It is better for everyone. It is better for the country if it will happen in the shortest possible time,” the 37-year-old leader said.
“The Belarusian people have changed. They will never accept the old authorities.”
The former Soviet republic has been devastated by weeks of anti-government protests following a controversial election earlier this month that saw Lukashenko win a landslide victory for a sixth straight term.
Opponents of the 65-year-old strongman say the August 9 presidential vote was hampered by irregularities, and have called for a fresh election.
Tens of thousands of protesters have since staged mass rallies across the Eastern European country to put an end to Lukashenko’s 26-year rule.
The government responded to the unusual protests with a violent burglary in which at least two people were killed, while dozens of others were arrested and allegedly tortured in custody.
|
Belarus protests: Lawyers gather evidence of torture |
A brief Lukashenko on Saturday ordered his defense minister to take “strict measures” to defend the country’s territorial integrity against the mass protests.
Asked if she was worried there could be more bloodshed as the movement continued, Tikhanovskaya said the collapse was the authorities’ “biggest mistake”.
“The violence that Belarusian authorities left to their people, I consider that as their biggest mistake ever. I urge authorities not to repeat this mistake, because our people will never forget or forgive our president, “said the former English teacher.
When she was asked if she intended to return from exile, Tikhanovskaya said she wanted to return to Belarus but no longer felt safe in her country.
“I’m safe here in Lithuania, but I’m not feeling safe in Belarus right now,” she said, adding that she was also worried about her husband and YouTube blogger Sergei Tikhanovsky, who was arrested after he tried to register as a candidate for the presidency interview.
.
