Lukashenko dismisses female presidency in Belarus elections
Belarus's presidential elections are set to take place in January 2025. On Thursday, Lukashenko was asked whether a woman could hold this office in the country. His response was brief: "God forbid."
On January 26, presidential elections are expected to occur in Belarus. There is little doubt that this will effectively be a re-election of Lukashenko, who has maintained this position for 30 years. Notably, no independent candidate has been allowed to participate in the elections, only six "stooges" — individuals connected to the regime and the dictator himself.
During Thursday's press conference, a journalist from the BelTA agency asked Lukashenko whether a woman could become president in Belarus (among the allowed candidates are two women - editor's note). The self-proclaimed president's response was firm: "God forbid that a woman is elected president in Belarus," he replied.
"It is not a ceremonial position"
"The US president has different powers; there are nuances. The Belarusian president is also the commander-in-chief. Besides, it’s a tough job. No need to give a woman so much work, it’s not a ceremonial position. Maybe that’s the style we will adopt eventually. But for now it’s different," said Lukashenko.
"I bow down to women, I do not belittle their role at all. But they have to remain near [men]," he added.
Let us recall that there were mass protests in Belarus after the presidential elections in 2020. Participants demanded an honest count of votes cast for candidates. According to an independent exit poll conducted abroad, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya was expected to receive 71 percent of the votes, while Alexander Lukashenko was expected to receive 10 percent. Meanwhile, the Belarusian Public Opinion Research Center claimed that Lukashenko won the elections with 79.7 percent, with Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya receiving 6.8 percent.
