MINSK, 10 April (BelTA) – In an interview with the Interstate TV and Radio Company Mir, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko spoke about the different understanding of democracy and unfounded claims made by those who consider themselves democracy champions, BelTA has learned.
The head of state was asked to comment on his earlier statement that Belarus is more democratic than those countries that call themselves the beacons of democracy. Aleksandr Lukashenko noted that throughout his political career, he had seen 'their democracy in all shapes and forms'. “Their democracy was hidden so deeply that sometimes we could not see it: under the baseboard, under the broom and somewhere else in the corner,” the president said figuratively. “They sounded so democratic in the media. And all of a sudden the jig was up.”
There came a barrage of undemocratic decisions and moves in Western countries that call themselves strongholds of democracy. Aleksandr Lukashenko cited only a few of the most notorious examples. These include the situation with Marine Le Pen in France or Călin Georgescu in Romania. Attempts to remove these politicians from the political scene will lead to nothing, the president believes, because other people will come to replace them. “New ones will come. Therefore, it will not be possible to strangle people and their leaders,” the head of state said. “But that's not even the point. The point is, why are you trying to get rid of them?”
That said, the president recalled that in 2020 the West reprimanded Belarus for being undemocratic due to charges filed against banker Viktor Babariko, although in fact there was solid evidence to press the charges. “Listen, they were lambasting us relentlessly! ... And now what?” the head of state asked rhetorically.
“This is their 'democracy'. And how do they conduct elections? Take, for example, the United States of America, the last election [in 2020], when poor Trump was 'hammered', 'roasted', almost sent to prison. They voted by mail, then found ballots under a fence or somewhere in a trash can. In the end, Biden became president,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said. “And then he [Trump after the 2020 election] was dragged through the courts, then shot at... Is this democracy? This is what their democracy looks like.”
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