MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 20th September, 2020) Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya said in an interview with the RBC news outlet that she does consider herself as the next president of Belarus, and her main goal is to push for holding a new fair ballot in the country.
"I do not ask you to see me as the future president of Belarus, because I do not position myself that way," Tikhanovskaya told RBC.
According to the Belarusian opposition leader, a new president should be elected via the fair and open vote rerun.
"My election program included three points, and the key one was the vote rerun � fair, transparent and open. And a president will be elected at this vote. I am sure that this will be a very strong leader, with whom Mr. [Russian President Vladimir] Putin would find something to agree on, and would talk to him as an equal, if he does not see me as a person with whom he can talk to," Tikhanovskaya said, when asked why Moscow did not see her as a politician to rely on.
Tikhanovskaya also stated that she discussed with EU officials the possibility of economic support for Belarus, including a stabilization loan, in case of the opposition's victory.
"Yes, the issue envisaging that Belarus will need assistance to stabilize and develop the economy has been discussed many times. We talked about this with leaders of many countries and international organizations, as well as with potential investors. There is interest and desire to help," she said, adding that at the same time, her contacts with EU officials were not frequent.
Kremlin has repeatedly said that Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko was the legitimately elected leader of the country. In late August, presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the Kremlin had no communication channels or contacts with the Belarusian opposition.
On Monday, Lukashenko met with Putin in Sochi when the Russian president confirmed Moscow would lend Minsk $1.5 billion.
