Lukašenka says he would “always be president” if there is turmoil in and around Belarus

February 5, BPN. In an interview with Russian TV presenter Vladimir Solovyov, Aliaksandr Lukašenka said that he “would always be president” if there is turbulence in and around Belarus.

“How many years will Lukašenka be the head of Belarus? Would you answer that question for yourself?” the interviewer asked.

“I would always be president if there is a difficult situation around Belarus, you know, like a war or more importantly, if we are torn apart as it happened in 2020,” replied Lukašenka. “But if everything is as calm as you say – the person who [would be the president], he would just appear and we would decide. But believe me, I am not the president because I really wanted to be. God forbid you get into this situation where you are dependent on the circumstances of so many people.”

“Brezhnev, Brezhnev, Brezhnev… (leader of the USSR between 1964 and 1982 – BPN). Now I realize how dependent Leonid Ilyich was not only on circumstances, but also on the people who surrounded him, supported him, were his friends, had drinks with him, went hunting and so on and so forth. But here you’re tied to everything, to your country, created by someone with his own hands, and so on and so forth, including the children. […] It’s not a job, it’s a public service, you said it right,” Lukašenka added.