Belarus opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya re-emerged after fleeing to neighboring Lithuania, calling for a recount and new protests after last weekend’s disputed election, but longtime President Alexander Lukashenko says he won’t be moved
MOSCOW—Belarus opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya re-emerged after fleeing to neighboring Lithuania, calling for new protests and piling further pressure on the country’s longtime leader, President Alexander Lukashenko, after last weekend’s disputed election.
Ms. Tikhanovskaya, a political newcomer who stepped forward as a candidate after her husband was detained in May, urged protesters to demand an official investigation into the election and said she had documents suggesting she had won up to 70% of the vote “Let’s defend our choice. Don’t stay on the sidelines. Our voices need to be heard,” she said in a video posted Friday on social media.
Tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets of the former Soviet republic since the Aug. 9 vote, complaining that the vote was a sham. Mr. Lukashenko had claimed 80% of the vote, and Ms. Tikhanovskaya fled to Lithuania shortly after, saying she had to protect the lives of her two young children.
As the demonstrations continued, state television Friday broadcast footage of Mr. Lukashenko telling a meeting of officials that he is still alive and hadn’t fled overseas. He previously has called demonstrators criminals and loafers.
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