Elections in Belarus: opposition rally gathered tens of thousands of people - ForumDaily
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Elections in Belarus: opposition rally gathered tens of thousands of people

A rally in support of the opposition presidential candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya was held in Minsk. This was already her second action in Minsk. This time tens of thousands of people came to support the presidential candidate. The edition writes about it with the BBC.

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The rally of Svetlana Tikhanovskaya took place in a park on Bangalore Square in Minsk. Tens of thousands of people came to support the opposition presidential candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya and her associates, Maria Kolesnikova and Veronica Tsepkalo. It was the most numerous authorized rally of the Belarusian opposition in recent years.

According to the Viasna human rights center, which has been deregistered but operates in the country, 63 thousand people came to the rally. According to other estimates, the number of participants was almost half as much - about 35 thousand people.

Due to the huge number of people, long lines formed at the entrance to the park.

The rally ended at about ten in the evening, in accordance with an agreement with the authorities. The people dispersed peacefully, the paddy wagons began to disperse. There is no information about the detentions.

Tikhanovskaya, speaking on stage, criticized the Belarusian security forces for their cruelty in dispersing opposition rallies. She said that people who want a decent life are not criminals. “This is our people. A people who want a peaceful change of power. Please don’t go against your conscience, don’t go against your people,” the presidential candidate said.

About a group of detained Russians

During the rally, Tikhanovskaya commented on the detention in Minsk of a group of Russians who were declared mercenaries. According to the country's authorities, they belong to the private military company Wagner, which fought in Ukraine, Syria, Libya and other countries.

On July 30, the Investigative Committee of Belarus announced that the Russians were suspected of preparing mass riots in the country. The ministry said in a statement that it is about the same riots that Sergei Tikhanovsky was previously accused of preparing. On Thursday, Secretary of the Security Council of Belarus Andrei Ravkov said that 170 militants trained in subversive and sniper activities are at large in the country, and this is not safe, especially during mass events.

Russian Ambassador to Belarus Dmitry Mezentsev said that the detained Russians were most likely employees of a private security organization who were traveling to a third country to guard energy infrastructure facilities under a contract, but missed the plane.

On the subject: Four and Lukashenko: candidates for presidency of Belarus who were allowed to run for election

Belarusian investigators linked the detained Russians to the case of Svetlana Tikhanovskaya’s husband. “When everyone heard the story yesterday that a group of militants had been detained in Minsk, they began to think about who these militants would be tied to,” Tikhanovskaya said during the rally. She clarified that the opposition expected either a ban on rallies or a provocation, but the group was “tied” to her detained husband Sergei Tikhanovsky.

He also remembered the meeting that took place on Thursday morning, at which they “outlined this situation.” “We were told that additional security would be provided during the picket. Thank you very much to the authorities for this. And this morning, looking into my eyes, high-ranking officials said that for them the main value is a person,” Tikhanovskaya emphasized. And then she touched on her husband’s case: “You said that the life and fate of a person are important to you, and after a couple of hours you ruin the person’s fate.”

Tikhanovskaya also touched on the version that Russian militants were sent to help the opposition. “They tell me that Russian militants visit us often, and that they use Belarus as some kind of transshipment base. Well, this needs to be dealt with,” said the oppositionist. “We have absolutely no need for militants.” We are peaceful people and want peaceful changes in our country.”

Shortly before the start of the rally, several dozen paddy wagons with riot police and riot police were seen near the park. People were being examined at the entrance to the action. Local media outlets that were streaming from the event complained about the very poor quality of mobile internet. Journalists assume that the signal was deliberately "jammed".

This is the second mass action of Tikhanovskaya in Minsk. The first took place on July 19. Then, according to the Viasna center, about 7,5 thousand people came.

About TV debates and refusal to participate in them

Tikhanovskaya commented on her refusal to participate in televised debates organized by the government-controlled Belarusian television. Instead, she posted on the internet video message, in which she proposed “a real one-on-one debate with Alexander Lukashenko live in Bangalore, in front of the Belarusian people” (that is, where a rally of thousands took place today). She called the televised debate a “farce” and “a waste of time for the Belarusians who will watch it.” “The debate that you offer us is the same fake as your elections,” Tikhanovskaya said, emphasizing that viewers were offered not a live broadcast, but a recording.

Presidential candidates Andrei Dmitriev and Sergei Cherechen participated in this recording; Lukashenko’s position was represented by Oleg Gaidukevich, a confidant of the current president, the head of the Liberal Democratic Party of Belarus.

Of course, Lukashenka did not come to Bangalore Square, where the rally was being held. So the debate did not take place. However, the people who came supported Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, Maria Kolesnikova and Veronica Tsepkalo, who shared personal stories from the stage that prompted them to "join politics."

"Tikhanovskaya conquers the audience"

Alexander Klaskovsky, a political observer for Belarusian News, noted the other day that “Tikhanouskaya conquers the audience.” At the same time, he emphasized that Lukashenko is failing with PR by holding meetings in “work collectives” organized with the help of administrative resources. At this very time, in his words, “Svetlana Tikhanovskaya is being greeted everywhere like a world pop star.” “Tikhanovskaya captivates the audience precisely with her human story: they say, I’m more accustomed to frying cutlets, but I went to fight for my husband, the children had to be hidden abroad, my son sent an SMS - he’s afraid for his mother. It strongly plays on the feeling of trampled justice, the discontent of disadvantaged people, as in 1994, when the first presidential elections took place, candidate Lukashenko played on this,” Klaskovsky noted. And at the rally in Minsk everything turned out exactly like this.

Let us remind you that Tikhanovskaya is running instead of her husband, blogger Sergei Tikhanovsky, who wanted to run for president, but was arrested at the end of May and has since been in jail.

Last week the headquarters of Tikhanovskaya, Tsepkalo and Babariko announced their unification for the election campaign of the presidential candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya.

Maria Kolesnikova is the head of the election headquarters of Viktor Babariko, who was not allowed to participate in the elections by the Central Election Commission. Veronica Tsepkalo is the wife of another rejected candidate, Valery Tsepkalo.

Observers called Babariko and Valery Tsepkalo as real rivals of Lukashenka in the elections. However, the CEC allowed only Tikhanovskaya before the elections. The staffs of Babariko and Tsepkalo support her. Tsepkalo, fearing arrest, left Belarus for Russia.

The rally in support of Tikhanovskaya is part of the campaign of the new Belarusian opposition, which is entering the political scene against the backdrop of falling ratings of Alexander Lukashenko. The current president of Belarus criticizes the opposition. He stated that the country’s constitution was “not made for women.”

Tikhanovskaya promised, if she wins, to take measures to “maintain stability in the country and to hold fair elections.” “All necessary actions will be completed within six months. For the first time in 20 years in Belarus, we have so much strength that we can win,” Tikhanovskaya emphasized.

Let us remind you that the presidential elections are to be held in Belarus on August 9.

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