MINSK, October 2./TASS/. Belarus has endured unprecedented pressure both externally and domestically, with explosions of protests fomented and introduced from outside by way of indoctrination centers, Speaker of the Belarusian Lower House Vladimir Andreichenko told a parliamentary session on Friday.

"Our country has faced unprecedented external and internal pressure. The protests have been brought about from the outside. They continue to test us and subject us to unprecedented information aggression. The fate of Belarus should and will be decided not by street protests with questionable external mediation, but the Belarusians themselves, in a civilized way and strictly within a legal framework," said Andreichenko as quoted by the BelTA news agency.

According to the speaker, legislators must study public opinion on constitutional reform. "It is evident that demand for reforms is ripe in society. As the head of state indicated, reforms must begin with constitutional amendments. That is why it is very important to study public opinion on this issue in constituencies and in direct dialogue with voters," he said. "We have rigorous work ahead of us, and it must be done consistently and in a coordinated manner," the senior lawmaker said.

Nationwide demonstrations have engulfed Belarus following the August 9 presidential election. According to the Central Election Commission’s official results, incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko won by a landslide, garnering 80.10% of the vote. His closest rival in the race, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, finished second, with 10.12% of the ballot. However, she refused to recognize the election’s outcome, and left Belarus for Lithuania. After the results of the exit polls were announced late on August 9, mass protests erupted in downtown Minsk and other Belarusian cities. During the early post-election period, the rallies snowballed into fierce clashes between the protesters and police. This unrest is being cheered on by the opposition’s Coordination Council, which has been beating the drum for more demonstrations. In response, the Belarusian authorities have repeatedly castigated the turmoil and demanded that all unauthorized demonstrations be stopped.