Belarus leader proposes to hand over office after referendum

Alexander Lukashenko, the president of Belarus, said on Monday (17) that he would be willing to hand over the post after a referendum, an apparent attempt to appease the protests and mass strikes that represent the biggest challenge to his 26 years in power.

He made the offer, which he insisted would not be carried out while he was being pressured by the demonstrators, after the exiled opposition politician Svetlana Tsikhanouskaya said she was willing to lead the country.

Lukashenko faces the risk of EU sanctions since the bloody crackdown on protests after what protesters said was a fraudulent re-election last week. He denies having lost, citing official results that gave him just over 80% of the vote. He told workers that there will not be another presidential election, something the opposition wants, unless he is assassinated.

Russia has told Lukashenko that it is willing to provide military aid to Belarus in the event of an external threat.