Critics of the Belarusian president began to gather in Minsk on Sunday for a new demonstration intended to keep the pressure on the regime facing a historic protest movement. In power for 26 years, Alexander Lukashenko, 65, for his part swore to "solve the problem" of the dispute, the result of a Western plot according to him, and even put the army on alert on Saturday, accusing NATO to maneuver on the borders of Belarus. Thousands of people, including workers from the iconic MTZ tractor factory, marched towards the center of the capital Minsk, waving the white and red banner of the opposition (which was the first flag of independent Belarus from the USSR from 1991 to 1995), according to an AFP journalist. Already gathered in the city center, thousands of other demonstrators chanted, among other slogans, “Freedom! "And" Lukashenko in the cellar van! ".
Riot control forces, armed in particular with water cannons, have been deployed in large numbers, according to AFP journalists. Shortly before the start of the demonstration, the Interior Ministry warned against “illegitimate” gatherings and called on citizens to “be wise”. The Defense Ministry warned that in the event of unrest near World War II memorials and protest sites over the past two weeks, officials would have to do "not with the police, but with the army." Opponents hope to repeat on Sunday the success of August 16, when more than 100,000 people demonstrated in Minsk to denounce the re-election they consider fraudulent on August 9 of Alexander Lukashenko, as well as the brutal repression that followed.
A long-term standoff
"I am so proud of the Belarusians now because, after 26 years of fear, they are ready to defend their rights," Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaïa, a refugee in Lithuania, told AFP on Saturday. who claims to have won the ballot. "I call on them to continue," she added. After two weeks of protest actions, Sunday's demonstration must prove that the opposition can impose a long-term standoff on Alexander Lukashenko, in order to force him to negotiate his departure. The Belarusian president has so far remained upright in his boots and has been able to count on the loyalty of the army, police and secret services, even though he has recorded defections in state media and public enterprises . Supporters of the president also scheduled Sunday demonstrations of support with parades of cars.
On Saturday, Alexander Lukashenko took advantage of an inspection of military units deployed near the Polish border, to present the protest as a plot hatched abroad. He placed the armed forces on alert "to defend the territorial integrity" of his country, threatened according to him by "important acts of NATO forces near" the borders, on Polish and Lithuanian territories. . The Alliance has denied any "military reinforcement in the region".
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Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, for her part, condemned an attempt to “distract (attention) from internal problems”. Before the election, the Belarusian president accused Vladimir Putin's Russia of working undercover to bring him down, but in the face of the wave of protest, he made a 180 ° turn, boasting of the Kremlin's support in his struggle in the face of Western attempts at destabilization. The Belarusian authorities have also this week initiated proceedings for “attacks on national security” against the “Coordination Council” formed by the opposition to promote a post-electoral political transition. Alexander Lukashenko for his part threatened with reprisals the strikers contesting his power, evoking layoffs or the closure of production lines.
This tactic seems to be bearing fruit, the number of walkouts in state factories, the pillars of the Belarusian economic and social system, having fallen this week. The president also said he replaced the resigning members of the editorial staff of state media with journalists from Russia. Moscow, for its part, has indicated its support for Alexander Lukashenko, despite strained relations in the last few months, while the European Union has planned to sanction the Belarusian power.
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