Belarusian opposition figurehead Svetlana Tikhanovskaya issued an ultimatum to President Alexander Lukashenko on Tuesday, October 13, giving him until October 25 to step down, otherwise she will call for a monster demonstration and a general strike.
See also: Belarus: for the European Union, Lukashenko has no "democratic legitimacy"
The Belarusian opposition demands the departure of Alexander Lukashenko, in power since 1994, since the presidential election deemed fraudulent on August 9.
The protest movement has since come under constant pressure from the authorities, which has resulted in the detention or exile abroad of all its main figures.
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Speaking in a message posted on social networks to the Belarusian authorities, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, in exile in Lithuania, gave Lukashenko 13 days to announce his resignation, put an end to the dispersal of the demonstrations by force and release all “
prisoners
”.
policies
”.
"
If our demands are not met by October 25, the whole country will take to the streets peacefully
," warned the opponent.
"
And on October 26, a nationwide strike of all businesses will begin, all roads will be blocked, sales in state stores will collapse
."
“
We have said on several occasions that we are ready for dialogue and negotiations.
But speaking behind prison bars is not a dialogue
”, she continued, denouncing the“
state terror
”in Belarus.
Threat of live ammunition
Police violently cracked down on the large weekly opposition rally in Minsk on Sunday, deploying water cannons and stun grenades against crowds and arresting hundreds of people.
This intervention was the most brutal in weeks.
And on Monday, the Interior Ministry threatened to use live ammunition "
if necessary
" to quell the protests.
To read also: Belarus: reprisals against the protesters of the "Lukashenko ideology"
A demonstration bringing together mainly retirees was also put down by force, with tear gas and stun grenades.
Since the beginning of the protest movement, hundreds of demonstrators, leaders of political movements, trade unions and journalists have been arrested.
On Monday, the last member of the "
coordination council
" formed by the opposition still at large and in Belarus, Sergei Dylevski, left the country out of "
fear for his safety
", according to local media.
