Lukashenko's 2025 run: A military operation in the making
Four years ago, presidential elections were held in Belarus, in which—according to the official version—Alexander Lukashenko was awarded 80.1% of the votes. The leader has already announced that he will run for the presidency again in 2025. "It will be a military operation. There can only be one winner," Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the leader of the Belarusian opposition, said in an interview with Interia.
On August 9, 2020, presidential elections were held in Belarus. Lukashenko received 80.1% of the votes, and his opponent, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the democratic opposition candidate, convinced only 10.1% of the voters.
These were the official election results. The scale of election fraud and the number of Belarusians who actually supported Tsikhanouskaya are unknown. Massive protests were held in the country against the rigging of the elections.
Meanwhile, Lukashenko, who has ruled the country since 1994, has already announced that he will run for re-election in 2025. "I will do it. Tell them (the exiled opposition) that! The tougher the situation becomes, the more actively they will act to shake our society," he declared a few months ago.
Tsikhanouskaya: "It will be a military operation"
According to Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the winner of the next presidential elections in Belarus can already be determined.
It will be a military operation, not a free election. All the leaders who could take part in it are either in prison or in exile. Therefore, it will be a very sterile operation by Lukashenko's regime - no one will be able to participate in these elections, and there can only be one winner - emphasized Tsikhanouskaya in an interview with Interia.
When asked about the Belarusian opposition's plans in this situation, she stated that two scenarios are being considered.
On one hand, we could encourage people to go to the polls, show their determination and dissatisfaction, although it is known that Lukashenko will still rig the election results. On the other hand, people could boycott these elections, show Lukashenko that they do not want him, do not accept him, show passive resistance - said the Interia interlocutor, adding that no decision has yet been made on which strategy to adopt.
A few days ago, Tsikhanouskaya, in her tweet, reminded people not to forget about Belarus because it could become a "consolation prize for Russia" when Ukrainian-Russian negotiations occur.
