For the toughest fight of your life has Svetlana Tichanowskaja her two children for safety’s sake, abroad bring. The 37-year-old foreign language teacher in the presidential election in Belarus (white Russia) is the only authorised candidate of the Opposition. Actually, her husband, the Blogger Sergei Tichanowski should, at the 9. August duration of President Alexander Lukashenko to compete. But, because he sits, like so many others in the prison, now leads his wife to the resistance. Tichanowskaja want to push “Europe’s last dictator” after 26 years out of office.
In the country between EU member Poland and Russia, have been demonstrating for weeks, thousands of for change and freedom. The 65-year-old Lukashenko has let his main opponents before the election, locked up again. This led to protests and arrests of hundreds of activists. But now, in the Ex-Soviet Republic, something that many thought hardly possible: With Tichanowskaja the women of the of the election Commission rejected applicants ums President forged an Alliance.
men’s embossed System threatens to falter
On Thursday, the 37-Year-old in the capital, Minsk, launched her election campaign tour of the country. With: Maria Kolesnikowa for the imprisoned Ex-Bank chief Viktor Babariko and Veronika Zepkalo for the entrepreneur Valeri Zepkalo. So far, Lukashenko has taken women in politics are never taken seriously. Now they threaten to bring the men’s embossed System to falter. Sergei Grits/AP/dpa Maria Kolesnikowa (r-l), representative of the Ex-Bank chiefs Babariko, whose candidacy was denied by the electoral Commission, Svetlana Tichanowskaja, a candidate in the presidential election in Belarus, and Veronika Zepkalo, wife of the non-approved candidates Zepkalo, stand for re-election to the support of Tichanowskaja.
“is It a merger, although it has no program, but a powerful message that Belarus needs change, so fair and free election can take place”, says the Belarus-expert Maryna Rakhlei of the think-tank the German Marshall Fund in Berlin. “As once in the GDR, the desire to change is big enough. It is similar to the time when even the Elite realized what is going on in the company, actually – and suddenly the wall fell.”
With regard to the situation in the country Tichanowskaja declared in an election speech on state television: “you have not understood that now everything just begins.” The viewers see a particular, determined woman. No trace of the tears you cried recently in a Video, because you have to threaten to get calls, it is better to get out of the election campaign than to lose your children. The mother of a ten-year-old son and a four year old daughter, holds a speech of praise for political scientists, as a highly professional.
Quiet and haunting with perfect Styling Tichanowskaja calling on their countrymen to go to the polls and let the votes do not by fakes steal. “Vote for me!” You promises in case of victory to release all political prisoners and with them a new and honest presidential election to be set.
Tichanowskaja also reminds her husband that revealed his Internet video project “A country life” abuses, great poverty, and wide discontent. Not least, the movement to the family Tichonowski has a rocking protest song. The title: “Steny ruchnut” (“walls collapse”). A line from it: “come on, let’s destroy this prison.”
“We are experiencing a unique level of politicization of the society,”
“We are experiencing a unique level of politicization of the society,” says the Minsk Analyst Artyom Schraibman. Also, parts of the Elite woke up. As a reason, he sees the deep social and economic crisis in the Russia-dependent country. The actual approval for Lukashenko, he sees between 20 and 25 percent – well above the three per cent that the Opposition gives to the President, but solid under the value of about 70 percent, the state surveys call.
“We are the majority,” says Tichanowskaja in your 15-minutes-TV-Clip self-aware. The country was woken up. “I don’t like that people die on the Coronavirus, while the power to hide the commander-in-chief of the real Numbers.” In fact, Lukashenko has talked of the danger posed by the Virus is always small. He said once even, it was nothing to see or vodka to help it.
“Corona has changed everything,” says expert Rakhlei. In the crisis, Lukashenko had disparagingly commented on those who have died of the Virus. This has hurt many people deeply.” Destroyed he got his picture of the father of the country, the care for the Welfare of the people.
There were two options, says Tichanowskaja. Way one: “to continue to live in poverty and promise”. Way two: Belarus a country “to live in the we have earned”. You, yourself, wants to build a future for their children. For this, you can feel the support. “I’m not afraid anymore. For the first time in 20 years, we have gain the power to.”
Nevertheless, Lukashenko has made it clear multiple times that he wants to prevent in spite of the threat of new sanctions of the EU and the United States, his removal from office. And he openly threatened in order to prevent a Revolution.
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