The largest anti-government demonstration in the history of Belarus

In Minsk, 200,000 citizens took to the streets to demand new elections and the restoration of the old constitution. The dictator Lukashenko, in a crisis of consensus and overwhelmed by strikes, has asked Russia for help

(Photo: Ulf Mauder / Picture alliance / Getty Images) The one that took place will be remembered as the most important event in the history of Belarus on 16 August in the capital Minsk and which brought about 200,000 people to the streets to ask for new elections and the restoration of the country's old constitution. An unprecedented participation that closes a week of protests born in the aftermath of the presidential elections that once again decreed the victory of Aleksandr Lukashenko, accused of having manipulated the result of the polls to maintain his power in the country he has ruled for 26 consecutive years .

The demonstration was described by the most international commentators as "a great national holiday" and, unlike those of the previous days, it was not characterized by police violence. Indeed, the procession was able to parade through the streets of the city peacefully and one of the representatives of the opposition, Maria Kolesnikova (the only one who managed to stay in the country: the presidential candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya fled to Lithuania. Veronika Tsepkalo, on the other hand, is in Moscow) spoke to the crowd asking them to continue with the protests to start a real phase of change in Belarus.

Aerial view over Minsk. # ЛукашенкоУходи #LukashenkoGoAway #Belarus pic.twitter.com/hkdqN8vImY

- NEXTA (@nexta_tv) August 16, 2020