Belarus witnesses rival rallies, prez rules out re-poll

MINSK: President Alexander Lukashenko on Sunday said Belarus will die as a state if it agrees to hold new elections, as rival rallies in support of and against his re-election convulsed the country.

Speaking at a rally of his supporters in Minsk, he rejected calls to hold a new presidential election and accused NATO of massing on his country’s western border.

Lukashenko, in power for 26 years, was under growing pressure a week after a contested election that has thrown his country into turmoil. He has faced down a week of street demonstrations. He denies losing the election, citing official results that gave him just over 80% of the vote.

Often emotional in state TV appearances, the 65-year-old leader has alleged a foreignbacked plot to topple him. He has also cited promised military support from Russian President Vladimir Putin if necessary. Putin told the Lukashenko that Moscow stood ready to provide help in accordance with a collective military pact if necessary, the Kremlin said in a statement on Sunday.

Russia, which has had a troubled relationship with Lukashenko, is watching closely as Belarus hosts pipelines that carry Russian energy exports to the West and is also viewed by Moscow as a buffer zone against NATO.

The EU is gearing up to impose new sanctions on Belarus in response to a violent crackdown in which at least two protesters have been killed and thousands detained.

Protesters show no signs of backing down. At least two protesters have been killed and thousands have been detained since last Sunday’s vote, which opponents of Lukashenko say was rigged to disguise the fact that he has lost public support.

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Lukashenko’s opposition rival in the contested election, has called for a huge “March of Freedom” through the centre of Minsk, the Belarusian capital, on Sunday.

Like previous protests, it is expected to culminate on Independence Square outside the main government building.

Just two hours before that Lukashenko addressed his supporters at a pro-government rally in central Minsk.

Metal fencing around Independence Square was installed on Sunday with agricultural vehicles used to close off nearby roads. Videos on social media showed long columns of buses with pro-lukashenko supporters onboard driving towards Minsk.