Belarussian president rocked by protests

RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS - In Brief 17 Aug 2020 by Alex Teddy
On August 16 a protest of 70 000 people gathered in Minsk. This is by far the largest demonstration the country has ever seen. This is too big for the police to shut down. A pro-government demonstration also took place but gathered only a few thousand people. Lukashenka said he begged for people to support him. The protests are the most serious threat to his 26 year rule.Svytlana Tsikkanouskaya claims to have won the election with 60% of the vote or more and says she is ready to be the leader. A few police officers have refused to arrest protesters. It is unclear who actually got a majority, though the urban voters are more likely to be among those supporting Tsikkanouskaya. Russia has agreed to support Lukashenka. So far Russian security personnel have not crossed the border. The Kremlin might conclude that Lukashenka cannot be saved. There is a chance that the demonstrations could backfire and end up causing Belarus to unite with Russia. The West does not want that either.

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