MINSK, Augut 20. /TASS/. The socio-political atmosphere in Belarus has stabilized but it is still complicated, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Friday.
"Today, the socio-political situation has largely stabilized, but is still uneasy and we cannot let our guard down," BelTA News Agency quoted him as saying during a ceremony devoted to honoring law enforcement officers. "You might have noticed that I often repeat the phrase: if in the wake of the operations you have recently conducted someone out there is berserk, off their rocker, and fails to mend his ways, then he is an enemy. What other evidence do we need that they wanted to turn the country upside down, demolish the state, and make us into slaves."
"We have proven it thanks to you. Isn’t that clear? If they keep on acting like they used to, contrary to the logic that has taken shape in society lately, then they are enemies," he stressed, adding that the risks and challenges emanating from the global media landscape are causing serious concern.
"It is an information war. Here anything goes. So, we need to stand up to it," Lukashenko emphasized.
Presidential elections were held in Belarus on August 9. 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. 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 demonstrations carried on for several months. The authorities repeatedly said that the protests had been orchestrated from abroad. Police continue to apprehend individuals suspected of participating in the unauthorized protests.