The term of the so-called people's ultimatum presented to Alexander Lukashenko by ex-presidential candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya expired last Sunday.
The so-called, because the "nationality", the nationwide demand raises doubts.
But the ultimatum tone was real.
The Lithuanian recluse insisted that Lukashenka himself voluntarily leave power.
Otherwise, a nationwide strike, a strike.
But the President of the Republic of Belarus did not even think to listen to her.
It turned out to be a tough nut to crack.
For now, anyway.
The stern determination of Old Man to stand his ground was not shaken by tens of thousands of Minsk residents who took to the streets of the capital to show who was in power there.
Considering them her political soldiers, Generalissimo Tikhanovskaya, not without pleasure, posted impressive photographs and video frames on her Telegram channel.
The spilled sea of people was called upon to convince those who doubt the power of the protest, and most importantly, the moral right to power.
After all, it is precisely in this way, with the demonstration of popular crowds, that it is customary to substantiate claims to power in all "color revolutions" without exception.
Another function of a large crowd is the physical seizure of administrative buildings, and with them the interception of real power (it just happened in Kyrgyzstan).
However, in Minsk, the law enforcement officers promised in advance in this case, an answer, and the European law-abiding Minsk residents did not dare to arrange it as in Bishkek.
Actually, they were not allowed to approach the authorities ... As a result, the police kept their word and did not fire with combatants.
But she didn't deny herself the pleasure of scaring the street with special means.
It looked creepy.
Stun grenades literally exploded under the feet of the protesters.
A deafening roar, flashes - it is almost impossible for a non-professional to distinguish the effect of using special means from military weapons.
The crowd ran.
The Polish NEXTA took care of the brutal confrontation not being limited only to the capital, but to cover the whole of Belarus.
Despite the official ban, the resource published in advance the gathering points of protesters in the cities of Belarus: Grodno, Lida, Gomel, Baranovichi, Mogilev, Vitebsk, Novopolotsk, Brest ... And a white-red-white wave reached Brest.
However, nothing extraordinary happened in the regions of Belarus.
And in Minsk, according to some information, only a hundred protesters were detained at the end of the day.
Is the protest subsiding?
Perhaps it will take on new forms.
In any case, the self-styled Fuhrer Tikhanovskaya urges the Belarusians to do this.
Since Lukashenko ignored the demands of the West voiced by her (who else?), The country was called on to stop working.
Tikhanovskaya would like to see the striking Belarusian "pig-iron" as the highlight of the nationwide strike.
“The railway is an artery necessary for the life of an organism called Belarus,” she wrote earlier.
To paralyze the body and thus force Lukashenko to leave - this is the intention of the oppositionist and her curators.
In the strike, as Tikhanovskaya puts it, both civil servants and private business should take part.
Why was this path chosen?
Apparently, on the model of Polish Solidarity, which overthrew the communist regime in the 1980s under the leadership of a cunning electrician (and an agent of the local KGB, as it turned out later) Lech Walesa.
Poles to Belarusians are now like older brothers.
Although the regime established by Lukashenka can hardly be called socialist, technology is important here.
And what the ideology of the new government will be, Belarusians will find out later.
However, the curious can reflect on this right now.
Fortunately, there are relatively recent examples.
So, Mykola Azarov, the former Prime Minister of Ukraine, very lucidly explained to those who wish the possible consequences of a large-scale strike in Belarus.
“Tikhanovskaya has no idea how to organize the work of a small shop for the production of compotes, but calls for a nationwide strike to be declared,” he bitterly sneers, calling the opposition’s proposal “blasphemous”.
And then she explains to the dull ones literally on her fingers: “In the period of the global crisis and pandemic, when enterprises all over the world find orders with difficulty, she urges manufacturers not to fulfill their obligations to customers.
If BelAZ's huge contract for the supply of dump trucks to India fails, foreign competitors, such as Caterpillar, will take it.
But ordinary Belarusians will appreciate the offer to strike in a different way.
Unlike Tikhanovskaya, no one will give them a pretty penny for life.
Having lost their job (and perhaps the country) as a result of the strike, they still have to look for a new source of income.
It's good if you can get a job as a strawberry picker in Poland.
And if all the jobs there have long been occupied by Ukrainian neighbors?
Suck your paw?
Minsk IT specialists, of course, are not so dependent, but they are nothing compared to the broad masses.
There is enough to bustle on the streets, but that's all.
By the way, the first attempt to launch a nationwide strike took place back in August.
It is difficult to call it successful.
Not a single large enterprise was completely shut down.
And where the strikers did appear, no more than 10-15% of labor collectives refused to work.
Since then, the propaganda of the opposition has been opposed by the propaganda of the authorities, explaining the real consequences of such a step.
So the moment is most likely missed.
Conclusion: the promise of a nationwide strike is an empty threat.
The author's point of view may not coincide with the position of the editorial board.