BELARUS PROTESTERS KEEP UP PUSH FOR RESIGNATION

U.S., EU press for talks with leader’s main opposition

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Several hundred women marched across the capital of Belarus in heavy rain Saturday to demand the resignation of the country’s authoritarian president, continuing morethan2 1⁄2 months of protests against his contested reelection to a sixth term.

The demonstrations were triggered by official results giving President Alexander Lukashenko 80 percent of the vote in an Aug. 9 election that the opposition insists was rigged. Lukashenko, who has ruled Belarus with an iron fist since 1994, has accused the United States and its allies of fomenting unrest in the exsoviet country.

The women who marched Saturday in Minsk carried umbrellas in the white and red colors of the opposition flag. They also held placards stating their professions to underline widespread opposition to Lukashenko’s 26year rule among people of various occupations, chanting “Go away!” as a demand for the president’s resignation.

Daily protests in Belarus have continued despite arrests and pressure, peaking on weekends with crowds of 100,000 and more. Another big protest is set for today.

The United States and the European Union have dismissed the August election as neither free nor fair and introduced sanctions against top Belarusian officials accused of vote manipulation and a crackdown on peaceful protesters.

Belarus state television said that U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called Lukashenko on Saturday, and the Belarusian president told Pompeo about a “national dialogue” taking place in the country. Lukashenko likely was referring to a constitutional amendment process he proposed that the opposition has dismissed as an attempt to stifle the ongoing protests, buy time and stay in power.

Pompeo and EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell discussed the situation in Belarus among other issues during a phone call on Friday. The State Department said they agreed Belarusian authorities need to “engage in a meaningful dialogue with genuine representatives of civil society,” including Lukashenko’s leading election opponent, opposition candidate Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya.

The EU has warned it is ready to sanction Lukashenko himself if he fails to enter talks with the opposition.

AP Belarusian women take part in a rally Saturday in Minsk to protest the presidential election results.