MINSK, August 26. /TASS/. Over one thousand people have already joined the Coordination Council of Belarusian opposition, member of the council’s presidium Maria Kolesnikova told journalists on Wednesday.

"Over one thousand people have already joined the opposition council of Belarus," she claimed. According to her, after a criminal case was launched over the council’s creation, 450 people applied to join.

The creation of the Coordination Council of the opposition was initiated on August 14 by former Belarusian presidential candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya with the goal of transfer of power. Tikhanovskaya refused to recognize the final election results announced by the Central Election Commission, according to which incumbent president of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko got 80.1% of the vote. On the night of August 10-11, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya who came second with 10.12%, left Belarus and is now in Lithuania. 

Belarusian Public Prosecutor’s office opened a criminal case on charges of calls to seize state power after the creation of this structure. Members of its presidium are being summoned one by one to the Investigative Committee as witnesses. Two members, Olga Kovalkova and Sergei Dylevsky, were detained on Monday by the law enforcement as charged with organizing an unauthorized rally. On Tuesday they were arrested for 10 days.