Self-proclaimed president Lukashenko: God forbid a woman is elected president in Belarus

Self-proclaimed Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko has considered the question of whether a woman could be president of the Republic of Belarus and believes it is not an option.

Source: Belarusian state news agency BelTA, citing Alexander Lukashenko

Quote from Lukashenko: "God forbid a woman is elected president in Belarus. The US president has different powers; there are nuances. The Belarusian president is also the commander-in-chief.

Besides, it’s a tough job. A woman shouldn’t be given so much work – it’s not a ceremonial position. Maybe that’s the style we will adopt eventually. But for now it’s different. I bow down to women, I do not belittle their role at all. But they have to remain alongside [men]."

Background:

• Alexander Lukashenko has been in power in Belarus for 30 years.
• Mass protests erupted in Belarus following large-scale fraud in the 2020 presidential election. The protesters demanded new and fair elections, the release of political prisoners, and accountability for the beating and torture of peaceful protesters.
• Lukashenko’s regime suppressed the protests, and thousands of Belarusians were persecuted, tortured, imprisoned, or forced to emigrate.
• One of Lukashenko’s opponents, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, is the head of the United Transitional Cabinet, the Belarusian democratic government in exile, and lives abroad.
• Maria Kolesnikova, an associate of Tsikhanouskaya, a member of the Coordination Council of the Belarusian Opposition and one of the most prominent participants in the 2020 protests in Belarus, is serving a prison term in a general-regime penal colony.

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