Calls for more strikes in Belarus to force new elections

Belarusian opposition politician Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya on Friday called on her supporters to step up their strikes at factories across the country to try to force new presidential elections.

“I ask you – continue and expand strikes,” she said in a video address. “Don’t be fooled by intimidation.”

Belarus is facing its biggest political crisis since the breakup of the Soviet Union, with tens of thousands of demonstrators saying veteran leader Alexander Lukashenko’s alleged Aug. 9 re-election was rigged and is illegitimate.

Lukashenko has said there will be no new presidential election despite calls from the opposition and nationwide anti-government protests and strikes.