My opponents choose jail and exile, Lukashenko tells BBC

I person reported connected galore elections.

I person seen premier ministers and presidents rotation up astatine polling stations, formed ballots and past instrumentality a fewer questions from reporters.

But I person ne'er seen thing rather similar the country astatine Polling Station 478 successful Minsk.

Long-time person of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, erstwhile dubbed "Europe's past dictator", arrived to formed his ballot. Then, portion Belarusians were inactive voting, campaigner Lukashenko gave a four-and-a-half hr property league unrecorded connected authorities TV.

It was an accidental to quiz him connected the arguable ballot which his critics person denounced arsenic "a sham".

"What wretched question person you prepared for me?" helium asked. "Like you ever do."

"Good morning," I replied.

"Good morning, Steve."

"How tin you telephone this a antiauthoritarian election, erstwhile your main rivals are either successful situation oregon successful exile?" I asked.

"Some are successful prison, and immoderate are successful exile. But you are here!" said Lukashenko.

"Everyone has the close to choose. That is democracy. Some chose prison, others chose exile. We ne'er forced anyone retired of the country."

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• Opposition calls predetermination 'a sham'

In reality, it was the authorities' brutal crackdown connected protesters aft the 2020 statesmanlike predetermination that led to Alexander Lukashenko's staunchest opponents either being jailed oregon driven into governmental exile. Personal prime did not travel into it.

"You said precocious 'We mustn't unopen people's mouths' [silence people]," I reminded him.

"But your rivals haven't conscionable been kept disconnected the ballot. Some of them person been jailed. There are presently much than 1,200 governmental prisoners successful Belarus. Isn't it clip to unfastened the situation cells and merchandise them? People similar Maria Kolesnikova, Sergei Tikhanovsky…"

"You support going connected astir Maria to me. My God," Lukashenko sighed.

"OK, I'll reply your question...Prison is for radical who person opened their mouths excessively wide and who person breached the law. Don't you person prisons successful Britain and America?"

"In immoderate country, if you interruption the law, you indispensable carnivore the consequences," helium continued. "The instrumentality is strict but it is the law. I didn't invent it. You request to abide by it."

"You request to abide by the law," I interjected. "But these radical are successful situation for criticising you."

"Ignorance of the instrumentality does not absolve you of work earlier it."

Although salient absorption figures were not allowed to run, Alexander Lukashenko's sanction was not the lone 1 connected the ballot. There were 4 different candidates. But they came crossed much similar spoilers than superior challengers.

"We spoke to immoderate of the different candidates," I told Lukashenko. "One of them, the Communist Party leader, openly supports you. Another is afloat of praise for you. It's a unusual election, isn't it, with opponents similar this…"

"Steve, this is simply a full caller acquisition for you!" helium replied, to laughter and applause from section journalists successful the room.

"That's true," I said. "I haven't seen an predetermination similar this before."

"The Communists' argumentation based connected justness is the aforesaid argumentation that we're promoting," argued Lukashenko. "So wherefore would they ballot against me?"

The European Union's overseas argumentation main Kaja Kallas has characterised this statesmanlike predetermination successful Belarus arsenic a "blatant affront to democracy".

Not that Alexander Lukashenko seems to care.

"I curse to you," helium told me, "I couldn't attraction little whether you recognise our predetermination oregon whether you don't. The astir important happening for maine is that the radical of Belarus recognise it."