Belarus Vote Challenger Not Joining Protests To 'avoid Provocations'

Minsk, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 10th Aug, 2020 ) :The top challenger in Belarus's presidential election, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, will not join street protests contesting the result, her spokeswoman said Monday.

"The team has decided that she will not take part in protests to avoid provocations," Anna Krasulina told AFP.

"Authorities can create any provocative situation to detain her and we need her to be free." Opposition supporters called for rallies Monday night, accusing strongman Alexander Lukashenko of falsifying the polls and stealing the Sunday election from Tikhanovskaya, a 37-year-old political novice.

Widespread claims of vote rigging led to mass protests followed by a fierce police crackdown that saw dozens wounded and hundreds detained late Sunday and early Monday.

On Monday, Tikhanovskaya called on 65-year-old Lukashenko to hand over power and went to lodge a complaint with the Central Election Commission.

Tikhanovskaya says she is not a politician but a symbol of the country's yearning for change.

The mother-of-two decided to stand for president in May after her husband Sergei Tikhanovsky -- a popular 41-year-old YouTube blogger -- was detained and could not submit his own presidential bid in time.