Beyond strengthening the power of self-proclaimed President Alexander Lukashenko, the constitutional referendum which runs until Sunday February 27 might bring Belarus out of its status as a non-nuclear country and its neutrality. For the Russian press, it does not matter: Minsk has chosen its camp, and it is that of Moscow. The opponent Svetlana Tikhanovskaïa announces the formation of a government in exile.
From February 22 until February 27, Belarus is organizing its fifth constitutional referendum (the previous ones were held in 1991, 1995, 1996 and 2004). The population is invited to vote on several amendments to the country’s Constitution (which dates from 1994), brought by the self-proclaimed president Alexander Lukashenko, in power for twenty-eight years.
In defense of the national interests of Belarus
As the war in Ukraine continues, the organization of this referendum takes on a very particular resonance. The Belarusian opposition was not mistaken in denouncing Moscow’s aggression once morest its neighbor and the role of the Belarusian government in allowing Russian troops to pass through its territory. A sign of the gravity of the situation, the opponent Svetlana Tikhanovskaïa, unsuccessful presidential candidate for 2020, visiting Paris, announced on February 24 the formation of a government in exile. A step she hadn’t taken before.
It is on her Telegram account that Svetlana Tikhanovskaïa announced the creation of its “cabinet [de ministres] transient”, or a government in exile, reports Lenta.ru. She self-proclaimed “representative of the Belarusian people until the next presidential election” and assured that she “[prenait] responsibility for defending the independence and national interests of Belarus”.
Tikhanovskaya clearly criticized Lukashenko, “illegitimate ruler of Belarus”who “introduced the foreign troops [lors des manœuvres militaires conjointes russo-biélorusses en février] and made our country a direct participant in the conflict [en Ukraine] “. The opponent believes that “this is high treason and betrayal of the interests of the Belarusian people”.
What does this referendum really mean?
The Belarusian version of the pro-Kremlin Russian site Sputnik summarizes the main proposals submitted to the vote by referendum: “The establishment of a Belarusian People’s Assembly [qui serait composée de 1 200 personnes issues des administrations publiques, municipalités et de la société civile] and who would become the
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Alda Engoian