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Tikhanovskaya announced nationwide strike in Belarus from October 26

Touching on Sunday’s protests she noted that the Belarusians have demonstrated that "peaceful protest is a permanent creative force" and the authorities’ reaction to the opposition protests means that they "are losing power"

MINSK, October 25. /TASS/. Former candidate for Belarusian president Svetlana Tikhanovskaya has announced a nationwide strike starting from Monday.

"Tomorrow, on October 26, a nationwide strike will begin in Belarus. Belarusians will make this step because their word is a law. A law they tried to deprive us of but we will reinstate it without fail. And our key peaceful weapon - solidarity - will help us," she wrote on her Telegram channel on Sunday.

Touching on Sunday’s protests organized by the opposition under the slogan of "popular ultimatum," she noted that the Belarusians have demonstrated that "peaceful protest is a permanent creative force" and the authorities’ reaction to the opposition protests means that they "are losing power."

Sunday is the last day of an ultimatum set by former presidential candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya to President Alexander Lukashenko. The demands include resignation of the incumbent president, freedom to political prisoners and cessation of violence. The opposition calls on workers of industrial enterprises to go on strike from Monday in case these demands are not satisfied.

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, came in 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. The current unrest is being cheered on by the opposition’s Coordination Council, which has been beating the drum for more protests. In response, the Belarusian authorities have castigated the ongoing turmoil and demanded that these unauthorized demonstrations be stopped.

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