Belarusian Opposition Agrees Tsikhanouskaya Will Continue As Leader

The Belarusian opposition in exile will continue to recognize Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya as the national leader until a free and fair presidential election is held in Belarus. This was agreed on August 3 at the New Belarus Conference organized by Tsikhanouskaya's office in the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius. Tsikhanouskaya ran against Belarusian strongman ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka in 2020. The United States and the European Union refused to accept Lukashenka as president after voting irregularities and his brutal crackdown on postelection protests. The Vilnius conference also included an exhibition on Belarusian volunteers fighting in Ukraine against Russian forces.