MINSK, 22 November (BelTA) – Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko commented on the statements about protests in Belarus in 2020 as he spoke during an interview with BBC, BelTA has learned.
The BBC journalist asked the Belarusian head of state whether he believes that more than 80% of people voted for him and if yes why large crowds, 200,000 people in his words, came out on to the streets to protest.
“You mentioned 80%. This is not my figure. It is from the official Central Election Commission. It is a fact, a legitimate fact. You say crowds came out and so on. Steve, crowds of supporters of the West in Belarus have been coming out on to the streets of Minsk for 25 years after elections. Always. In the 1990s they even overturned police cars. Came with fascist banners. Every elections. In 2010, they set up a camp in the center of Minsk. This year it was better prepared by you: German, English, American funds. They poured money, organized people here amid the pandemic. This process lasted longer. Therefore, there were no large crowds here. The maximum of them, when they gathered from all over the country, was 46,600-46,700 people in Minsk,” the president said.
Aleksandr Lukashenko suggested comparing these facts, assuming that there were 200,000 people taking to the streets to protest, which is only a little more than 2% of all Belarusians. “Some 650,000 or 670,000 people did not vote for me in those elections. That's only 13% or 15%. That's where 80% comes from. You say 200,000, I say 600,000. It is 600,000, not 10 million. You need to sort out your math,” the head of state said.
“Lots of people came to the pro-government rallies and still drive around the country with the national flag. There are more and more people coming to their senses. So, it is not 80% any more. Now it is more like 87% or even 90%,” the president added.
