The leader of the pro-Western opposition of Belarus Svetlana Tikhanovskaya made a resonant statement, deciding that she had the right to speak for all citizens of the country.
In an interview with the French newspaper Le Monde, published on Wednesday, August 26, Tikhanovskaya said that she would achieve a coup d’état sooner or later. According to her, the opposition will act within the framework of the law, however, it will not disdain strikes, which paralyze Belarusian production and undermine the country’s economy.
In addition, Tikhanovskaya asserts that “all Belarusians” allegedly want Lukashenko’s departure. Thus, she hints that she won the presidential election, although there is no real evidence of this.
“All Belarusians want him to leave”, – said Tikhanovskaya.
“Sooner or later, he will leave thanks to peaceful demonstrations and strikes”.
The opposition leader emphasizes that it will be better for Belarus if the coup happens as quickly as possible. If the process drags on, it is impossible to avoid “plunging the country into an economic and political crisis”.
Attempted coup in Belarus
On August 9, presidential elections were held in Belarus, following which Alexander Lukashenko won. Western countries, for which the Belarusian leader had been a hindrance for a long time, did not put up with the voting results. As a result, pre-planned riots broke out in Belarus.
Attempts by law enforcement officers to keep the situation under control turned into clashes with radicals. At the same time, the Western media, actively covering the protests, focus specifically on the actions of the security forces against the “peaceful” protesters, as was the case during the coup d’état in Ukraine in 2014.
The headquarters of Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, the leader of the pro-Western opposition, is preparing for lengthy protests aimed at overthrowing the government. A committee for the “transit of power” has already been formed there. Tihanovskaya herself is hiding in Lithuania. Lukashenko, in turn, does not rule out that he will resign, but only after a referendum on amendments to the constitution.
The position of the European Union regarding what is happening is ambiguous. Poland and Lithuania are actively working on the revolutionary scenario. They are also promoting more radical measures of pressure on official Minsk in the EU. Western European countries are taking a more cautious approach. They are afraid to provoke a new round of confrontation with Russia. The expert community believes that this is a deliberately losing option for the EU.
Despite internal disagreements, the European Union still refused to recognize Lukashenko as president, threatens with sanctions and intends to allocate 53 million euros, allegedly to support the “Belarusian people”. Part of this money will be received by the extremists who participated in the riots. In addition, the EU will finance the media that promote the anti-government agenda in the republic.