‘Get out of our way and let us save the country’ Key quotes from Lukashenko’s national address ahead of presidential elections in Belarus
On August 4, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko (Alyaksandr Lukashenka) delivered his annual address to the nation and the parliament. The speech went on for about an hour and a half, so we’ve distilled his speech into a few key quotes.
On the suspected Russian mercenaries arrested in Belarus
These people confessed that they were sent to Belarus specifically and had orders to wait. The tickets to Istanbul are a myth. Perhaps I’m a bad geographer, but I don’t understand — why fly to Africa via the North Pole? Stop lying already, you’ve already humiliated yourselves. First Istanbul. Then, no, not Istanbul. Venezuela. Then yesterday they called [and said]: no, not Venezuela, even we don’t know where [they were going]. We have the harvest going on and we have to go chasing them through the woods. Don’t blow this up or there will be problems from here to Vladivostok.
Read more about the Russians arrested in Belarus
- Belarus arrested 33 Russian mercenaries outside of Minsk today. Here’s what we know, so far.
- Scare tactics The Belarusian authorities are known for playing up ‘security threats’ during times of political instability
- As Belarus launches terrorism case against suspected Russian mercenaries, Moscow insists they were in Minsk on layover
On the coronavirus
Today, every country recognizes that we did the right thing — what’s now being called the special path of Belarus. The WHO [World Health Organization] demanded immediate quarantine, a curfew, closed borders, but I couldn’t do that. As a result, we passed the exam and solved this problem. Whoever doesn’t want to see this will always be blind. In our hospitals, they didn’t sort patients like at the front.
Read more about the coronavirus in Belarus
On the presidential candidates
Differentiate between real politicians, the real opposition, and wooden puppets. You can’t lead the country by appearing out of nowhere. We know those factories where such candidates come off the conveyor belts very well. They appear, deceive, provoke, set people up, and then get recalled by their owners. [These] unfortunate girls don’t understand what they’re talking about or what they’re doing. But we see who is behind them. We are taking a number of serious steps to counter this treat.
Read more about the opposition candidates
- ‘This is a turning point in Belarusian history’ Opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya on how her presidential campaign is taking on Lukashenko
- Exiled Belarusian opposition candidate calls on 32 world leaders — but not Vladimir Putin — to support campaign against Lukashenko
- ‘This is a new Belarus’ Viktor Babariko is Lukashenko’s main opponent in the Belarusian presidential elections. Now he’s been put under arrest.
On online criticism
An entire army of Internet trolls is working to destabilize the situation in the country [Belarus]. We are a state, we will never win the battle on the Internet, because it’s yellow. We can’t stoop to this level and call everyone whores and prostitutes. If a person wants to understand the situation, he’ll read not only the Internet, but also other media. The demand for truth is growing every day. They’ve decided to carry out these color revolutions in our strong, monolithic society, with the help of new information technologies. It won’t work.
On youth
All young people are valuable for the state. Both those who, under the influence of emotions and, possibly, beliefs, are standing in solidarity chains, and those who took an oath to defend their fatherland from threats. The state is responsible for all of its children. We must all protect young people from harmful behaviors. These puppeteers will fail!
Read more about recent protests in Belarus
On rallies and election results
The authorities aren’t shutting anyone up, you can go out to authorized rallies. But if the rally is forbidden, any participant is a violator, not just the organizer. The reaction will be instant, and the response will be the most severe. [If] you want a different president go to the polling stations and not a public square. We — the authorities and I — will accept your decision. But if you aren’t capable and aren’t ready for something, step aside, stay out of it, get out of our way and let us save the country.
Read more
- What just happened and what’s next in Belarus? A rundown of the contentious presidential race, Lukashenko’s surprising struggles, and the likely post-election scenario
- Moscow’s cozy vista Belarusian and Russian political experts explain the Kremlin’s options in Minsk ahead of an uncertain presidential election
- ‘I’m a bit of a psychotherapist’ Nobel-Prize winning Belarusian writer Svetlana Alexievich on relationships with her protagonists, scenes from the mini-series ‘Chernobyl,’ and cultures of violence
Quotes selected by Grigory Levchenko
Translation by Eilish Hart
What ‘special path’?
Belarus hardly introduced any quarantine restrictions during the coronavirus pandemic — all enterprises across the country continued working and there was no ban on public events, like concerts etc. Of all the countries in Europe, only Sweden chose a similar approach.
Who?
Obviously, Lukashenko is referring to presidential candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya (Svitlana Tsikhanouskaya) and her associates Veronika Tsepkalo (Veranika Tsapkala) and Maria Kolesnikova (Maryya Kalesnikava). Veronika Tsepkalo is the wife of banned opposition candidate Valery Tsepkalo (Valeryy Tsapkala) and Kolesnikova was the campaign manager for another alternative candidate, Viktor Babaryko (Viktar Babarika). Both women publicly announced their support for Tikhanovskaya’s campaign after their own proposed candidates were prevented from running in the elections.
Who’s behind them?
Lukashenko never clarified who he thinks is “behind” Svetlana Tikhanovskaya and her campaign.
Solidarity chains
The arrest of opposition politicians and activists ahead of the elections in Belarus has prompted protest rallies in Minsk and other large cities across the country this summer. During some of the rallies, protesters refrained from shouting slogans — instead, they formed human chains along major roadways.