Belarus elections 2025 – Tikhanovskaya: “Will not call for demonstrations”

In a meeting room of a hotel in Vienna-Donaustadt, krone.tv meets the opposition leader, who has been living in exile in Belarus since the last presidential elections. Her record is eleven interviews in one day. Nowadays there are ‘only’ four. Svetlana Tichanovskaya is a guest in the Austrian capital as part of the forum “Eastern Partnership Civil Society”. On Wednesday, the 42-year-old Democrat will discuss the necessary progress in the areas of the rule of law, human rights, democratic institutions, administrative reforms and economic criteria for EU accession processes – including for Belarus.

In an interview with the “Krone”, the activist looks at her country and the upcoming elections in 2025. The next presidential elections should have taken place in Belarus in July next year, but ruler Alexander Lukashenko surprisingly moved the date to cold January. A smart move? Tichanowskaya said: “We think he postponed these so-called elections until January because he is still afraid. Despite four years of constant oppression, he knows people can stand up to him. But in winter it is much more difficult to be on the road. He does not want to take any risks,” said the opposition leader.

Lukashenko will replace Lukashenko
For Tikhanovskaya, however, there can be no question of democratic elections: “What Lukashenko plans to do has nothing to do with elections, because it will be more reminiscent of a military operation than elections,” she explains. Especially because political opponents in Belarus are imprisoned or forced into exile. Free media is destroyed, civil society is suppressed: “People live in constant fear – free and fair elections are impossible. It will be a reinstatement of Lukashenko by Lukashenko himself. No one will count the votes, they will write down the numbers they need,” Tikhanovskaya said.

“Not the right time to sacrifice people”
Will there be mass protests again? “I don’t believe that,” the activist says pragmatically: “And I will not call on my people to take to the streets, because this is not the right time to sacrifice people. Politically it wouldn’t change anything.”

Instead, she is betting on a “real moment of opportunity” that could come with a Ukrainian victory, an economic crisis or some other turning point, such as Lukashenko’s death: “I am absolutely certain that this moment will be a very short period of time.” will be. give. But the people who are in the system will choose a prosperous future. They will choose a European future because we already see how many people in the Lukashenko system who work with him also want change,” she explained. She’s not alone. In the country itself, their supporters provide them with internal information: “Insiders provide us with information, they leak different insights to us. They talk to us very secretly and discreetly. And Lukashenko knows this. He is afraid of being betrayed by his own people.”

The role of women: “Mothers of the land”
As recipient of the ‘Woman for Peace and Security Award’, she emphasized the special role of women in politics and civil society: ‘Women show more humanity and care about peace and security. They are like mothers of the land. I remember how in our country in 2020, three women – Maria Kolesnikova, who is still in prison, Veronika and I – really managed to continue our course together in just seven minutes.”

You can watch the entire interview in the video above.