Belarus Draws Largest Protest Yet as Lukashenko Rejects Election Rerun
Tens of thousands of protesters in Belarus gathered at a 'March for Freedom' in the country's capital on Sunday amid widespread demonstrations over the disputed reelection of authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko.
In turn, at a separate pro-government rally, Lukashenko addressed thousands of supporters and asked them to protect the country, rejecting calls for an election rerun.
"Never expect me to do something under pressure. There will be no election rerun in the country. Elections have already been held and there will be no more elections," Lukashenko said.
He further noted that the unrest "could open the way for military action by NATO," accusing the alliance of massing on his country’s western border.
"Lukashenko has claimed foreign powers are interfering in the country and warned that Russia was also in danger. He has now spoken to his Russian counterpart, with the Kremlin announcing the two had discussed the situation," Euronews reports.
"It was the eighth day of demonstrations since Lukashenko proclaimed a landslide victory over pro-democracy opposition in an election widely viewed as rigged, and likely the largest protest in the history of the former Soviet republic," the New York Times reported.
The article by Ivan Nechepurenko and or the first time, Belarusians were allowed to walk freely in the city center, wrapped in opposition flags and chanting anti-government slogans, while the police were "nowhere to be seen."
"The protest came in response to a call for a 'March for Freedom' by Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, the main opposition candidate in the presidential elections. She joined the race after the arrest of her husband, Sergei Tikhanovsky, a popular blogger who had planned to run as a candidate. Ms. Tikhanovskaya, who says she won the election, was forced to leave Belarus for neighboring Lithuania early last week," reads the publication.
Incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko has won the 2020 election in Belarus with 80.23% of the vote, which was met with widespread protests throughout the country and violent repression by Belarusian authorities.
By Ana Dumbadze
Sources: Euronews, The New York Times