Belarus president says he is open to power-sharing agreement

Source: The Hill | August 17, 2020 | Zack Budryk

Embattled Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on Monday said he would be willing to relinquish power if a referendum called for it as protesters continued to call for him to step down.

Lukashenko, who has held power for more than 25 years, denied the mass demonstrations would sway him, according to Reuters.

“We’ll put the changes to a referendum, and I’ll hand over my constitutional powers. But not under pressure or because of the street,” he said, according to the official Belta news agency. “Yes, I’m not a saint. You know my harsh side. I’m not eternal. But if you drag down the first president you’ll drag down neighboring countries and all the rest.”

He also offered a constitutional amendment, which is unlikely to pacify the protesters.

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the opposition leader who left Belarus after Lukashenko was declared the winner, said she was prepared to assume leadership of the country and called on security and police to switch sides.

“I am ready to take responsibility and act as a national leader during this period,” she said, according to the news service.

Tsikhanouskaya also called for the development of a legal framework for a new presidential election. Official results stated Lukashenko was reelected with 80 percent of the vote.

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