The Belarusian opposition called for a large demonstration on Sunday, maintaining the pressure on President Alexander Lukashenko, who, faced with a historic protest movement, has sworn to " solve the problem ", the result of a Western plot according to him. In power for 26 years, the 65-year-old head of state even put the army on alert, accusing NATO of maneuvering at its borders.
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His detractors hope to repeat the exploit of August 16, when more than 100,000 people took to the streets of Minsk, carrying the white and red banner of the opposition, to denounce the fraudulent re-election on August 9 of Alexander Lukashenko, as well. than the brutal repression of the demonstrations that followed. " I am so proud of the Belarusians now because, after 26 years of fear, they are ready to defend their rights, " Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who believes she has won on Saturday told AFP. voting.
" I call on them to continue, not to stop, because it is really important now to remain united in the fight for our rights, " added the 37-year-old English teacher who took refuge in neighboring Lithuania, under threat, according to his supporters. In addition to the demonstration scheduled for Minsk from 11am GMT, a human chain is to link Vilnius, the Lithuanian capital, to the border with Belarus.
Right in his boots
After two weeks of protests, this major demonstration must prove that the opposition can impose a long-term standoff on Alexander Lukashenko, in order to force him to negotiate his departure. The Belarusian president has so far remained upright in his boots, and has been able to count on the loyalty of the armed forces, the police and the secret services, although he has had to record defections in state and corporate media. public or even within diplomacy.
Supporters of the president have also planned this Sunday demonstrations of support with parades of cars. On Saturday, Alexander Lukashenko took advantage of an inspection of the military units deployed in Grodno, near the Polish border, to denounce the protest movement targeting him as a plot hatched abroad. He therefore placed the armed forces on alert " to defend the territorial integrity of our country ", threatened according to him by " important acts of NATO forces near " the borders, on Polish territories. and Lithuanian. Accusations " baseless " by the Alliance, which denies any " military buildup in the region ."
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Before the election, the Belarusian president accused Vladimir Putin's Russia of operating undercover to bring him down, but in the face of the wave of protest, he made a 180 ° turn, boasting of the Kremlin's support in his struggle in the face of Western attempts at destabilization. Svetlana Tikhanovskaya condemned an attempt to “ distract (attention) from internal problems ”.
Claiming to have won the presidential election with 80% of the vote, the president proclaimed on Friday that he would " solve the problem " of the protest. The day before, the Belarusian authorities had brought proceedings for “ attacks on national security ” against the “ coordination council ” formed by the opposition to promote a post-electoral political transition.
Russian support
Alexander Lukashenko also threatened retaliation against strikers who walked out to challenge his power, in the form of layoffs or the closure of production lines. This tactic seems to be bearing fruit, as the number of walkouts in state factories, pillars of the Belarusian economic and social system, has fallen this week. The president also said that he replaced the resigning members of the state media editorial staff with journalists from Russia.
Moscow, for its part, expressed its support for Alexander Lukashenko, despite strained relations in the last few months, and warned against any form of Western interference. The European Union has planned to sanction the Belarusian government. US Assistant Secretary of State Stephen Biegun will travel to Lithuania and Russia next week to discuss the situation in Belarus.
