OTTAWA – Exiled Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya has urged citizens to boycott the upcoming presidential election in January and avoid street protests, describing the vote as a façade designed to legitimize President Alexander Lukashenko’s grip on power.
The January 26 election will see Lukashenko, who has ruled Belarus since 1994 and is closely allied with Russian President Vladimir Putin, run for his seventh term. His controversial victory in 2020 triggered massive protests, which were met with a harsh crackdown by authorities, leading to around 30,000 detentions, according to human rights groups.
Speaking in Ottawa on Tuesday, Tsikhanouskaya expressed concern over the risks of renewed demonstrations. “We can’t allow protests at the moment because, for four years, people have experienced such brutal repressions,” she said. Instead, she advised those forced to vote to spoil their ballots as a form of dissent. The Belarusian interior ministry has announced police drills ahead of the election to counter potential “extremism and terrorism.”
Tsikhanouskaya called on the international community to reject the election results and push for stronger sanctions against Lukashenko’s regime. “I understand it might disturb the comfortable lives of citizens of your countries, but sometimes it’s necessary to sacrifice a little bit of comfort for bigger aims,” she said.
Despite ongoing repression, including the exodus of 500,000 people since 2020 and over 1,200 political prisoners still detained, Tsikhanouskaya highlighted the resilience of underground opposition movements. “Our task is to weaken him economically and politically. When the moment comes, believe me, people will be vocal, people will be visible,” she said.
Lukashenko has denied allegations of election rigging and maintains that his leadership reflects the will of the Belarusian people. Since July, he has issued six sets of pardons for political prisoners, though critics view these actions as insufficient gestures amidst sustained repression. Tsikhanouskaya’s husband, Syarhei Tsikhanouski, remains imprisoned since 2020, after being barred from running in the election his wife contested.