Embattled Belarus leader jeered by workers as strikes grow

On the ninth straight day of mass protests over the official results of the August 9 presidential election that demonstrators say was rigged, Mr Lukashenko flew by helicopter to a factory in the capital of Minsk to rally support, but he was met by angry workers chanting, “go away”.

He told the workers: “I will never cave in to pressure.”

Mr Lukashenko said the country could have a new presidential election, but only after approving an amended version of its constitution.

He told the factory workers that those who intend to strike could leave if they want, but he added that the protests are ruining the economy and said the country would collapse if he steps down.

“Some of you might have got the impression that the government no longer exists, that it has tumbled down,” the 65-year-old former state farm director shouted. “The government will never collapse, you know me well.”

As he spoke, over 5,000 striking workers from the Minsk Tractor Plant marched down the streets of the city, joining an increasing number of state-controlled factories across the nation of 9.5 million in walking off the job.

Miners at the huge potash factory in Soligorsk also said they were joining the strike. The giant Belaruskali factory that accounts for a fifth of the world’s potash fertiliser output is the nation’s top cash earner.

The strikes follow a dispersal of peaceful, post-election demonstrations last week that were met by rubber bullets, tear gas, clubs and stun grenades.

At least 7,000 were detained by riot police, one protester was killed and hundreds were wounded.

The workers want Mr Lukashenko to give way to Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the leading opposition candidate in the election.

“Lukashenko is a former president. He needs to go,” said Sergei Dylevsky, the leader of the protest at the Minsk Tractor Plant, adding that Ms Tsikhanouskaya is “our president, legitimate and elected by the people”.

Mr Dylevsky voiced concern that the leader’s weekend telephone calls with Russian president Vladimir Putin could herald an attempt by the country’s eastern neighbour to send in troops to prop up Mr Lukashenko.

Mr Lukashenko spoke twice with Mr Putin over the weekend and reported the Russian leader told him Moscow stands ready to provide support in the face of what he described as foreign aggression.

He claimed that Nato nations are beefing up military forces on the border with Belarus – a claim the alliance rejected.

Lithuanian officials pointed at a military exercise Belarus abruptly launched near the borders of Lithuania and Poland on Monday and warned about worrying signs that Russia might be planning to use the situation to take over Belarus.

“If they consider just incorporating the country in a simple way, the consequences would be unpredictable,” Lithuanian foreign minister Linas Linkevicius said.

The official results of the election gave Mr Lukashenko 80% of the votes and Ms Tsikhanouskaya only 10%, but the opposition claimed the outcome was falsified.

The 37-year-old former teacher left for neighbouring Lithuania on August 11 under what her associates described as pressure from law enforcement officials.

In a video statement on Monday, Ms Tsikhanouskaya said she was prepared to step in.

“I’m ready to take on the responsibility and act as a national leader in order for the country to calm down, return to its normal rhythm, in order for us to free all the political prisoners and prepare legislation and conditions for organising new presidential elections,” she said.

After the police crackdown and reports of abuse provoked widespread anger, the authorities relented, allowing big weekend protests and releasing many of the detainees. The Interior Ministry said that just 122 detainees were still in custody as of Monday.

In Brussels, European Council President Charles Michel convened an emergency summit of EU leaders on Wednesday to discuss the handling of the election and the crackdown.

“The people of Belarus have the right to decide on their future and freely elect their leader,” Michel said in a tweet. “Violence against protesters is unacceptable and cannot be allowed.”

On Friday, the 27 EU foreign ministers underlined that the elections were neither free nor fair and decided to start drawing up a list of people who could face sanctions from the violence.