“Voice of Russia”: Lukashenka’s main rival going to change the power (Audio)

It’s high time to in Belarus, it’s high time to get rid of the dictatorship.

Belarus is entering the active phase of the presidential campaign. On September 30 the initiative groups of the presidential aspirants started collection of signatures in support of potential candidates. At this stage the battle for the position of the president is to be fought by 17 contenders.

The process of the election campaign has been commented to the Voice of Russia by one of the candidates for presidency, the leader of “European Belarus” civil campaign Andrei Sannikov.

- The chairperson of the CEC Lidziya Yarmoshyna has stated that the regime would create comfortable conditions for all the candidates. Have you already felt this comfort?

- I have not felt comfort, but I have seen activism and commitment of people who want to support the alternative. It is difficult to judge the level of comfort by one day. I can say one thing, that there have been pressure and psychological shadowing when we were preparing lists of the initiative group.

- You are called one of the main rivals of Lukashenka. Don’t you fear that the entire forceful propaganda machine of Belarusian president would hammer you?

- I know that it is most likely to be that way, but this fact changes nothing in my plans. It’s high time to change the power in Belarus, to get rid of the dictatorship, for our country to become different, and live a different, normal life.

- Virtually all experts say that the result of the elections is predetermined. What do you hope for?

- We do not have elections, I agree. We do not have a vote count. We have rigging of election results, which had been recognized by the world community. In addition, under the law, Lukashenka does not have a right to run for the presidency again. As the referendum, which gave him such a right, was illegal and also fraudulent. That is, we do not have elections as such. But the nation has a right of choice, and we will use that right.

- However, Alyaksandr Lukashenka has stated that he is the one most interested for this election to be honest, as he would have to blush then for five years for that. Do you think that the president would blush at all, and how he would substantiate his words?

- These statements by Alyaksandr Lukashenka are equal to his statement that he is the best friend of Russia. We see what the results of such statements are. Such people cannot blush., but we feel ashamed that today we are represented by the dictator, who is suspected of involvement in political assassinations, among other things.

- Fundamentally, in which way this campaign is to differ from the previous ones?

- It differs fundamentally, as the role of Russia has changed. Now there is no such unlimited support which had always helped Lukashenka to rig election results. It is the most fundamental difference. And I must say to you that people in Belarus have a hope that Russia won’t stay indifferent to the future of the Belarusian nation.