After casting his ballot, Belarus president Alyaksandr Lukashenka told journalists about the opposition parties’ disadvantages.
“To put it short: they are too far from people. If the opposition continues to work in order to fill in their pockets, to earn for their living (although I understand this)… But you cannot go against your people and the country. They sometimes get too carried away to one side, and we direct them towards the center. They should not attack on me for this. They should be grateful that they are not marginalized at all. I don’t want the opposition to be the fifth column inside our country. I want the opposition to exist and be workable,” state-run news agency BelTA quotes him as saying.
At the same time, Lukashenka said he came into power after being in the opposition. “Sometimes people remind me of this fact. One should not, I do remember it well, that’s sacred,” the Belarusian leader said.
484 candidates are running for seats at the lower chamber of Belarus’ parliament. The polling stations will be open until 20:00.
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