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(ANSA-AFP) - MOSCOW, MAY 15 - The exiled opposition leader of
reclusive Belarus on Monday called on the public to be
"prepared" for political change following reports speculating on
the declining health of strongman Alexander Lukashenko. The
68-year-old who has been in power since 1994 has not been seen
in public for six days, skipping important events. He was last
seen in Moscow for celebrations of the Soviet victory over the
Nazis, but he had skipped a lunch hosted by his ally President
Vladimir Putin. Some Russian and Belarusian journalists
commented that Lukashenko appeared unwell at the Red Square
military parade. His rival, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who fled to
neighbouring Lithuania after 2020 mass protests against
Lukashenko, commented on the health "rumours" on Twitter. "For
us, it means only one thing: we should be well prepared for
every scenario," she said. "To turn Belarus on the path to
democracy and prevent Russia from interfering," she added. "We
need the international community to be proactive and fast."
(ANSA-AFP).
