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Lukashenko accuses presidential elections rivals of illegal campaign funding

The head of state called on his opponent Valery Tsepkalo to speak out about why he was fired from the position of the head of the High Tech Park of Belarus

MINSK, June 4. /TASS/. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko accused some of his rivals in the upcoming presidential elections of illegal funding of their presidential campaign Thursday.

"He [presidential candidate Valery Tsepkalo] sold his house to some company, the money was paid, but he still lives there. What is this? This is campaign funding. And he, the cheeky one, runs, all clean and fluffy," Lukashenko noted, according to BelTA news agency.

The head of state called on his opponent to speak out about why he was fired from the position of the head of the High Tech Park of Belarus.

"I asked him to tell why he was fired, the famous one. He still does not talk. We wait. When the time comes, we will tell ourselves," Lukashenko said.

He recalled Tsepkalo’s recent comments that his grandmother liked Lukashenko back in the day because of the president’s knowledge of agriculture.

"He tells a story that his grandmother like me because I knew how many piglets a pig can produce. A question arises, why did you like me back then? Why did you come to me on your knees begging from [Stanislav Shushkevich, the chairman of the Supreme Council in the 1990s.] We have not forgotten that," Lukashenko said.

"And then again, he [Tsepkalo] simply does not understand that the numbers of piglets and their quality does not depend only on the sow. It also depends on the boar. And if there is such boar as this man, then the piglets are going to be stillborn," Lukashenko claimed.

Without addressing another potential candidate by name, Lukashenko called on the voters to ask him about the origins of the funds he got back at the day.

"You ask him, ask one question: what is the ‘PrivatLeasing’ company? The second question: where he keeps the money he fraudulently earned in Belarus?" Lukashenko asked.

"I do not criticize them [potential candidates] yet. I am simply wondering, when my press secretary delivers an overview of their statement. I think: my God, but this is elementary, just stay silent, try to somehow pack something, so that people don’t vote against you!" the Belarusian president said.