Former presidential candidate of Belarus Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya said that President Alexander Lukashenko refusing the country’s power is only a matter of time. She wrote about this in a column for The Washington Post.
According to her, "despite state propaganda," time is on the opposition side. "This is a colossus regime having feet of clay," Tsikhanouskaya wrote. She said that despite authorities pressure, lies and propaganda carried out by Russian journalists, the opposition will continue to hold protest actions in Belarus, specifying that this is a peaceful protest without the use of violence. “Many people ask will this be enough. I think, yes. We, as a nation, have passed the point of no return. Lukashenko has no future as leader of this country,” Tsikhanouskaya said.
She also appealed to other countries’ governments and asked them "to stop cooperating with the regime and to impose sanctions against those who falsified the election results and committed crimes against their citizens." According to Tsikhanouskaya, other countries conclude all agreements with the current government "at their own peril and risk."
The day before, presidents of Russia and Belarus, Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko met in Sochi. It was announced that Moscow would provide Minsk with a $ 1.5 billion loan.
Commenting on this message, Tsikhanouskaya said that it was Lukashenko, and not the Belarusian people, who would have to give this loan. Addressing the Russians, she added that their taxes would pay for beating protesters. "This can prolong Lukashenko's agony but it cannot prevent the victory of the people," Tsikhanouskaya said.
Protests against the official presidential elections voting results have continued since August 9, in Belarus. Protesters claim the results were falsified in favor of Alexander Lukashenko, who was re-elected for the sixth consecutive term. Hundreds of thousands of citizens of Belarus demand Lukashenko's resignation, releasing political prisoners and those arrested during protests.