Lukashenko is ready to leave only in 2023
New presidential elections in Belarus will take place after the adoption of a new constitution and bringing the legislation into line with it. This process will take two years.
The President of Belarus announced this today, speaking at the All-Belarusian People's Assembly, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
“I answer your question directly: within a year the draft constitution will be ready. It will be discussed publicly throughout the year. And at the beginning of next year, at a minimum, we will put it to a popular vote. Within a year, many laws will not have to be changed to accommodate the new constitution. And then the answer to the main question - when he will leave - will be decided. But we must do this without making any mistakes,” Lukashenko said.
According to him, 63% of Belarusians are against changing the constitution, but he intends to insist on reform, since a representative of the opposition, if he becomes president, could send foreign troops into Belarus.
“If they seized power, and one of the fugitives, protestors, prisoners came to power and received this constitution, he could appeal abroad, and foreign troops would appear here. Therefore, there is a dire need to develop a new draft constitution,” Lukashenko said.
As for parliamentary elections based on the proportional principle, according to the Belarusian leader, they can be held only after full-fledged parties have been created.
“We need to prepare the people. If we divide an immature society along party lines, it will be more fashionable than last year,” Lukashenko said.
At the same time, he is firmly convinced that Belarus should remain a presidential republic.
“Without Lukashenko. No matter how heroic I am, the time will come, other people will come. They are already knocking on the door. I can hear it. I understand that everything came down to me. All the fuss is due to the personality of the President of Belarus. I am not a cowardly person, I have no wealth, I have nothing except Belarus. Therefore, I will not give my country to anyone,” Lukashenko said.
In his opinion, the opposition did not intend to hold elections, and if the protests were successful, blogger Sergei Tikhanovsky would seize power.
“There would already be a mordovol, who was captured in Grodno, and would rule the country. And Svetlana would fry cutlets if she knows how. There would be no new elections. It's clear who would be in charge of this. I went to this pre-trial detention center to look at them. They said what they wanted. Then I grabbed my head. Babariko was surprised, Tikhanovsky raised his cap. I say: I'm glad you didn't come to power. Not because you would turn the country upside down. If you only tried, people would trample you. He would never accept the policies they propose. I already experienced this in Yeltsin’s Russia,” the president said.
At the same time, he assured the activists that the elections would be held fairly and openly, but only if there were no mass protests in the country and with security guarantees for Lukashenko’s supporters.
“We will have to have fair, open elections. And there will be an ironclad social contract: if anyone moves after this, they will receive the most severe response. Time will tell what role the current president will play. I am answering a question that exists among protesters and the lost. My main condition for leaving power is: there is peace, order in the country, no protest actions, and do not overturn the country. Second: if the wrong ones come to power, not a hair can fall from the heads of the current president’s supporters,” said the Belarusian leader.
He sees the All-Belarusian People's Assembly as the guarantor of compliance with these agreements, which he proposes to give the status of a constitutional body.
“That’s why I proposed making the All-Belarusian People’s Assembly a constitutional body. Make it with authority. If this social contract is violated, all power will be with the National Assembly - with you, even without me. It should become a stabilizer for the transition period. During this period of change of power, we must have a clear safety net so as not to lose the country,” Lukashenko said.
He proposes that the All-Belarusian Assembly determine the country's development strategy without interfering with the functions of the executive branch.
“You cannot weaken the head of state. It won’t be me,” Lukashenko said, but immediately added: “This is not an axiom.” This is not the last thing I said. Maybe we will find other options."
The creation of a constitutional commission is already spelled out in the draft resolution of the All-Belarusian People's Assembly, which will be adopted tomorrow.
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