October 2, Pozirk. You cannot call the ritual and circus show of Alaksandar Łukašenka’s reappointment an election, Belarusian opposition leader Śviatłana Cichanoŭskaja told participants at Warsaw Security Forum 2024.
She noted that Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe observers have not been invited to monitor the polls.
The 2025 election will resemble a military operation, she said. According to her, reprisals in Belarus are intensifying. The pro-democracy movement should use this opportunity to mobilize people, for example, through a media campaign, she said.
“We need a unified and coordinated approach: what can Belarusians inside the country and in exile do on this day,” Cichanoŭskaja said, stressing that her officie is calling on its partners to declare their non-recognition of the election in advance.
She advised Belarusians against staging protests because this would not change anything at the moment.
Belarus is to hold the seventh presidential election no later than July 20.
The annual Warsaw Security Forum brings together more than 1,500 high-profile representatives of governments, international organizations, industries, think tanks and civil society groups from more than 90 countries. This year, it is taking place on October 1 and 2.
