Vladimir Gostyukhin advises Lukashenka to quit

Even the most dedicated fans of the dictator turn their back on him.

Vladimir Gostyukhin has always been an admirer Alyaksandr Lukashenka and dubious propagandist of Belarusian orders. But even he began to say it's time to hand over power in Belarus.

“I contributed to his coming to power in the 1990s. I was his election agent,” Vladimir Gostyukhin said to URA.ru. “A different matter that being a big bright leader he finds it difficult to hand over power: he thinks everything will collapse without him. It's our problem: how to hand over power quietly and continue to develop. Mr Lukashenka, in my opinion, should quit for some time, but... We had an interesting prime minister, Sidorski. He was moved into the shadow because he showed himself as too bright person and this cause jelousy. Mr Lukashenka is more of a symbol today. What works now is the system he launched. He used to gather intellectuals for talks and round table discussions. It doesn't happen now. He gives awards, but doesn't invite people to talk...”