Belarusians continue to mobilize against Lukashenko's re-election

Two weeks after the contested re-election of outgoing President Alexander Lukashenko, protests are not weakening in Belarus. This Sunday, tens of thousands of Belarusians took to the streets all around the country.

In Minsk, the capital of Belarus, crowds gathered in Independence Square and the surrounding streets, waving red-white flags, the colors of protest, and chanting slogans such as “Freedom! "And" Lukashenko in the cellar van! "

People of Grodno with the right message: "Lukashenko to the police van!" # ЛукашенкоУходи # LukashenkoGoAway # Belarus pic.twitter.com/XKxrUTtMJ6

Protestors fill Independence Square in Minsk. #Belarus pic.twitter.com/6yMPMANzpu

Opposition-linked media and Telegram messaging accounts reported that it had more than 100,000 protesters in the capital for the second Sunday in a row. If the count is difficult to verify, the photos undeniably show a real mobilization.

The protesters denounce the re-election deemed fraudulent on August 9 of Alexander Lukashenko, in power for 26 years, as well as the brutal repression that followed.

The demonstrators took to the streets of Minsk on Sunday August 23 AFP / Sergei GAPON  

"If he really won the election (with 80% of the vote) then why are so many people taking to the streets against him?" “, Pretends to question Evgueni, an 18-year-old protester.

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Lukashenko “wants everyone to disperse and live as before (the poll). But it will never be the same again, ”insists Nikita, 28, for his part.

Riot control forces (OMON), armed in particular with water cannons, were deployed in large numbers.

The Defense Ministry warned that in the event of unrest near World War II memorials and protest sites over the past two weeks, officials would have to do "not with the police, but with the army."

More than 100,000 people last Sunday

Last week in Minsk, more than 100,000 people gathered to demand the departure of Mr. Lukashenko, who had never been confronted with such a challenge, in number as in duration.

The Belarusian president remains intractable and refuses to leave his post, as requested in particular by his main political opponent, Svetlana Tikhanovskaïa, who fled to Lithuania after the results of the election. Her relatives assure that she had to flee the country because of numerous threats.

The Belarusian authorities have also initiated this week prosecutions for "attacks on national security" against the "Coordination Council" formed by the opposition to promote a post-electoral political transition, which Tikhanovskaïa created.

Lukashenko puts the army on high alert

Alexander Lukashenko, for his part, swore to "solve the problem" of the dispute, the fruit of a Western plot according to him, and even put the army on alert this Saturday, accusing NATO of maneuvering at the borders of Belarus.

The Belarusian president has so far been able to count on the loyalty of the army, the police and the secret services, even though he has recorded defections in state media and public enterprises.

Supporters of the president have also planned this Sunday demonstrations of support with parades of cars.

Moscow, for its part, has indicated its support for Alexander Lukashenko, despite strained relations in the last few months, while the European Union has planned to sanction the Belarusian power.