Thousands of supporters of Belarusian opposition candidate Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya gathered on July 23 in the city of Barysau for a big political rally ahead of the August 9 presidential vote. Tsikhanouskaya, 38, is challenging authoritarian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka, who has led the country for 26 years and is seeking a sixth term.
Thousands Rally For Belarusian Opposition Candidate Tsikhanouskaya
- By Uladz Hrydzin
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The July 23 rally in Barysau was one of the biggest the city has seen in years. Organizers estimated that 5,000 people attended.
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Supporters hold placards with slogans like "Together," "We can," and "We believe."
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Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya is running for president in place of her husband, Syarhey Tsikhanouski. The popular, outspoken vlogger was jailed on charges that he and supporters said were meant to silence him and prevent him from challenging President Lukashenka.
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Tsikhanouskaya's campaign began on June 19, when the Central Election Commission approved her presidential bid to collect signatures to get on the ballot.
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A former Soviet republic, Belarus will hold its sixth presidential election on August 9. None of the elections since Lukashenka took power in 1994 has been deemed free or fair by Western standards.
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Supporters hold posters of the female trio who together are challenging Lukashenka's rule: (left to right) Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Veranika Tsapkala, and Maryya Kalesnikava. Tsikhanouskaya joined forces with Tsapkala and Kalesnikava, who both represented would-be presidential candidates who were barred from the August 9 ballot.
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Tsikhanouskaya (left) stands next to Kalesnikava, a campaign coordinator for Viktar Babaryka, who was barred from the presidential ballot.
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Supporters hold a placard with Tsikhanouskaya's campaign logo and slogan: "Together."
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Trust in the authoritarian president has suffered since Lukashenka downplayed the coronavirus pandemic as nothing more than a "psychosis" that could be warded off with vodka, a tractor ride, or a visit to a sauna.
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Many supporters wore masks amid a rising number of COVID-19 cases and deaths in Belarus.
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"People are tired of empty promises," Tsikhanouskaya told supporters at the rally. She said Belarusian voters want choice and an end to political repression where "dissenters are silenced and thrown behind bars."
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An accidental candidate, Tsikhanouskaya now finds herself at the forefront of a political wave that a growing number of Belarusians hope can bring in a democratic tide to the Eastern European country of some 9.5 million.
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While Tsikhanouskaya's supporters were allowed to gather, hundreds of activists and bloggers have been arrested in recent months as the government cracked down hard on rallies and demonstrations.
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Tsikhanouskaya (center) and Kalesnikava (left) leave the rally. Veranika Tsapkala did not attend.
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Despite dominating all echelons of power, Lukashenka is now facing what looks like the greatest challenge to his more-than-quarter-century rule.
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