Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko hinted today that he will step down “very soon”.
There is no need to speculate when Lukashenko and the others will leave. Very soon,” the president said during a press conference, according to EFE.
However, Lukashenko did not deepen his statement, leaving out in the air but without deadlines or without clarifying whether he is tied to power with other functions.
The Belarusian president also acknowledged that the country had a difficult year after the presidential elections in August 2020, which the opposition and many Western countries declared fraudulent.
“Today, Belarus is in the spotlight around the world. How and why knows better than me. I just want to say that he was not willing. We have had a difficult year,” Lukashenko said in Minsk, citing EFE and AP agencies.
According to Lukashenko, in today’s world “the so-called democracy has been replaced by digital dictation.”
“It creates a negative emotional background in society or, as they call it, information noise, but the saddest thing is that this virtual and artificial world affects the adoption of basic and real political decisions in the international arena,” Lukashenko said.
The Belarusian leader said that the year following the August 9, 2020 presidential election had tested the “national unity of Belarus” and accused the opposition of contemplating a coup.
Then we prepared for the elections under conditions of complete transparency and democratization of political life. The only difference, he said, was that some were preparing for fair elections, and others were demanding the crushing of the authorities for a coup.”
Belarus was shaken after months of protests sparked by Lukashenko’s re-election in 2020, the largest of which gathered 200,000 people.
The Belarusian authorities responded to the protests with relentless repression, with more than 35,000 people arrested and thousands beaten by the police.
Important opposition figures have been arrested or forced to leave the country.
Lukashenko considered that the events of the past year strengthened cooperation between Belarus and Russia, arguing that Moscow was the target of an “external attack”.
“Belarus and Russia were left alone. The external attack was directed against Russia through Belarus as ever.”
Lukashenko also warned the West of new sanctions against Belarus because they could have an “opposite effect” and affect the countries that impose them.
“they [políticos ocidentais] They need to start using their minds and think carefully before taking action against us, including before imposing sanctions.
More than 600 Belarusians have been recognized by the Vesna Human Rights Center as political prisoners and are now Detained in different prisons.
Lukashenko, who ruled Belarus with an iron fist for 27 years, denounced his rule Opponents as servants to foreigners He accused the United States and its allies of plotting to overthrow his government.
The authorities intensified suppression of opponents In recent weeks, independent journalists and democracy activists have been targeted in hundreds of attacks.
The Association of Belarusian Journalists reported today that in the year following the Belarusian elections, several hundred journalists were arrested in the country and more than 100 websites were blocked.
“Currently, 29 journalists are still in prison and 50 are under criminal prosecution,” the union denounced.
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