MINSK, November 9. /TASS/. A protest rally organized by Belarus’ senior citizens dubbed "The March of Wisdom" has taken place without incidents, TASS reports from the scene.
On Monday, senior citizens took to the streets for the sixth time to support protesting students, doctors, teachers and workers.
The group of several thousand elderly citizens marched through downtown Minsk. Law enforcement officers accompanied the group along the route of the march, but they did not try to stop the unsanctioned rally. When passing through the KGB (State Security Committee) building, protesters chanted "Congratulations!" to greet ex-presidential candidate Viktor Babariko, who is currently in custody at the KGB detention facility, on his birthday.
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.