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Opposition leader at Davos: democracy needs reinvention
Śviatłana Cichanoŭskaja at WEF, January 22, 2026
Janaury 23, Pozirk. Democracy must be reimagined and reinvented, Belarusian opposition leader Śviatłana Cichanoŭskaja said at a discussion held yesterday at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland.
Existing democratic instruments and institutions, which had evolved over the past decades, are not ready for new challenges, she noted, pointing out a lack of efficiency of the United Nations.
“We have to invent new instruments to cope with this new era and with a new world,” the politician stressed, noting that everyone has to invest in the protection of democracy and reforms of its institutions to make them more effecttive.
Dictatorships often imitate democracies using such attributes as parliaments, judiciary or media but these structures are meaningless if serve a single ruler rather than the people, she said, citing Belarus as an example.
Cichanoŭskaja, who was invited to WEF for the fourth time, took part in several discussions this year, meeting senior government officials and business executives on the forum sidelines. The politician said she sees the event as an opportunity to strengthen international solidarity and step up efforts to secure the release of Belarus’ political prisoners.
Cichanoŭskaja meets with UN General Assembly president
January 21, Pozirk. Śviatłana Cichanoŭskaja met with Annalena Baerbock, president of the UN General Assembly, on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Belarus’ opposition leader's press office reported. Cichanoŭskaja thanked Baerbock for her support in her …
