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Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, leader of the Belarusian opposition
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Christoph Soeder / dpa
Two years ago, the Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tichanovskaya had to flee into exile after the controversial presidential election - dictator Alexander Lukashenko was consolidating his power.
Now Tichanovskaya has presented an alternative government team to promote the replacement of the ruler.
The politician announced a »United Transitional Cabinet« in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius and appointed the first members.
The body should represent Belarus' national interests, bring about democratic change and restore the rule of law, she said.
The group has no state powers and operates from exile.
Her comrades-in-arms also include members of the opposition who used to belong to the Belarusian leadership system.
In the election on August 9, 2020, Lukashenko had himself declared the winner of the election, triggering unprecedented protests in Belarus.
Many see Tichanovskaya as the true winner of the election.
She fled to Lithuania after the election.
The opposition had denounced massive electoral fraud and launched a protest movement against Lukashenko, which was violently suppressed by the government.
Today, due to massive state repression, there are hardly any major demonstrations in Belarus.
"Lukashenko must under no circumstances be legitimized on the international stage," Tichanovskaya said in an interview marking the anniversary of the Polish newspaper Rzeczpospolita.
1,261 political prisoners are still being held in Belarus, according to one of the country's main human rights organizations, Vyazna.
According to Tichanovskaya, the western sanctions are not yet sufficient to persuade Lukashenko to give in and release the prisoners.
mrc/dpa/AFP