The Belarusian opposition leader Swetlana Tichanowskaja does not want to run as a candidate against the incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko in a new election. “I’m not planning to go into the race myself,” Tichanovskaya told the Tass agency. Her husband is not interested either.
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The former English teacher ran for her husband Sergei Tichanowskij after the anti-government blogger was arrested in May. At the beginning of the week Tichanovskaya had signaled her readiness to take power.
The opposition leader has been in Lithuania since August 11th. There she gave hers on Friday in Vilnius first press conference after the escape into exile.
Lukashenko, whom she never names, tries to steal their land from the Belarusians. “In order to end the arbitrariness, we have to unite,” said Tichanovskaya. The opposition’s goals are the end of violence against those who think differently, the release of all political prisoners and fair and free new elections for the presidency.
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The Belarusian opposition recognizes the president’s victory Alexander Lukashenko after the election marked by allegations of manipulation and violence. According to a report by the RIA news agency, Lukashenko is ready to repeat the presidential election as soon as a new constitution has been adopted.
Lukashenko had voted in the presidential election Belarus proclaimed the winner on August 9 with an alleged 80 percent share of the vote. The opposition, however, speaks of electoral fraud and sees Tichanovskaya as the new president.
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