Uladzimir Niakliayeu: Belarusian Opposition Prepared People For Today's Protest

The way the Belarusian revolution matured.

Belarusian politician, 2010 presidential candidate and former political prisoner Uladzimir Niakliayeu told The Current Time about the origins of the Belarusian revolution.

The poet and politician answered the question about the difference between the current protests and the 2010 rallies:

- The scale has changed, but the principles remain the same. The suppression of all freethinking, all resistance to the current totalitarian Belarusian regime. There is a problem and a difference, I think, is that in 2010 there was not enough people's power, people's will to change the situation in Belarus. But there were enough protest leaders. Now, unfortunately, the situation looks the other way around. There is enough strength, enough people's will, but there is an acute lack of leadership, and a lot of people are already talking about it.

- Where do you think the strength and will of the people came from in 10 years?

- It took them some time to appear. It is possible to present it as some kind of miracle, no one expected from the people that they would be able to rise up to fight for freedom. No, it is not true, all this has been prepared for many years. From the very beginning, from Lukashenka's coming to power, the Belarusian opposition, first of all, the Belarusian Popular Front, protested against the very institution of presidency in Belarus, which is generally not typical of Belarusians, and even more so against Lukashenka's coming and keeping power. We tried to arrage impeachment - it did not work. All these years, a quarter of a century, in fact, the Belarusian opposition was preparing the people for this protest. So it's not all of a sudden. And it has been taking place not only in politics, but also in culture, which is very important.