The opposition is disputing the official results of the presidential election, which gives the incumbent president Lukashenko won with 80% of the votes.
The voltage is not shifted in Belarus. A protester died on Monday during protests against the re-election to a sixth term of president Alexander Lukashenko, dispersed by the police for the second night in a row. A protester was killed on Monday evening by the explosive device that he was about to launch on the forces of law and order, and that blew up in his hands, according to police in belarus. For its part, the candidate of the opposition took refuge in Lithuania.
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The opposition is disputing the official results, giving Alexander Lukashenko the winner with 80,08% of the vote, and believes the ballot falsified. Thousands of his supporters took to the streets Monday evening, at several places of Minsk, the capital, and other cities of this ex-soviet republic.
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Chanting “Shame !”, the protesters have been faced with great forces of police who have given unstintingly of kicks, and batons to the protesters. A witness and several Russian media, and belarusian have reported the use of tear gas, firing rubber bullets and stun grenades by the security forces. The police announced the arrests of protesters. In the night, barricades were erected in the central streets of Minsk, marking an escalation of tensions, and several explosions were heard.
The candidate of the opposition took refuge in Lithuania
For its part, the rival main of Alexander Lukashenko in this election, Svetlana Tikhanovskaïa, has decided not to take part in the protests to avoid “provocations”. After spending three hours at the election Commission on Monday evening to demand a recount of the votes, she took refuge in Lithuania, announced on Tuesday the minister of foreign Affairs of lithuania, Linas Linkevicius. “She arrived in Lithuania, and is in safety”, he said.
Lithuania, member of the european Union and Nato, has belonged to the soviet Union. She has frequently given refuge to opposition figures in belarus or Russian.
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Svetlana Tikhanovskaïa, a novice in politics for 37 years, has emerged in a few weeks as a rival unexpectedly in the face of Alexander Lukashenko. After the vote, she urged the regime to “think about how we cede power”. “I consider myself as the winner,” said this English teacher training, as the election Commission has credited approximately 10% of the vote.
Paris and Berlin condemn the repression
spontaneous demonstrations interspersed with clashes with the security forces, which have caused dozens of wounded, had already erupted Sunday evening after the announcement of the first results giving the winner, Alexander Lukashenko, 65 years and runs the country with an iron hand since 1994. Over 3000 people were arrested and 21 criminal records for “mass disorder” have been opened.
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abroad, the european Commission, Paris, Berlin and London have condemned the crackdown. Warsaw has asked the EU summit devoted to the topic. Washington said he is “greatly concerned”. Conversely, the leaders of russia and china, Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping, congratulated the president Lukashenko. This last was, however, accused Moscow of wanting to vassaliser his country and of seeking to destabilize it.
