Belarusian president wants to withdraw from the recently introduced fuel price increases. “Lets fix it so that from tomorrow on the fuel does not cost 5200-5100 rubles, but a maximum of 4500″ – Lukashenka proposed during a conference on the current economic situation. On Tuesday, in Belarus there was another increase in fuel prices, the second one in two weeks, and this time it amounted to 30 percent. The price increase was one of the points of the announced on Saturday plan of economic reforms aimed at tackling the economic crisis in Belarus. The fuel prices increase was meant to equate them with those in neighboring Russia and to ensure the viability of the refineries, which lose on selling gasoline in the domestic market.
Belarusian political scientist Yuri Czavusau called Lukashenka‘s statement “populism”. “Price increase sparked such a public outrage, that Alexander Lukashenko decided to play the role of a defender of the nation.” According to the political scientist, low prices of gasoline can not be maintained for long time period, because the situation on the foreign exchange market in Belarus is far from stability. “Prices in Belarus are constantly growing and this will also apply to fuels. The purpose of today’s announcement is to discharged mood of protest “- he added.
On Tuesday evening on the main street of Minsk – the prospectus of Independence – a demonstration of several hundred opponents of the gasoline price increases was held. Participants who have organized via the Internet, blocked the main artery of the city, pretending cars crash or driving in circles.
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