Exiled Belarusian Presidential Contender Tsikhanouskaya Calls For Rallies 'In All Cities'

The main opposition challenger in Belarus's August 9 presidential election, Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya, has called for peaceful rallies to be held and for authorities to stop an ongoing violent crackdown. She left the country and is currently in neighboring Lithuania. In a video statement released on August 14, Tsikhanouskaya said the majority of voters in the country had cast ballots for her and not for authoritarian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka. Widely disputed official results showed him receiving about 80 percent of the votes.