If Lukashenko Retains Grip on Power Belarus Will Face Embargo :: Charter'97 :: News

Former Plenipotentiary ambassador of Belarus for Latvia, Estonia and Finland Mikhail Marinich believes that in case Lukashenko refuses to accept his defeat at the elections, it’ll take opposition no more than 3-6 months to eventually topple him. Marinich says it will be a result of the economic embargo, which the West will impose on Belarus.

Right now, claims Marinich, roughly 40% of the Belarusian export falls on the western states. Moreover, he notes, a significant part of all components for the production process at the Belarusian enterprises is shipped from abroad. Therefore, he concludes, given the embargo is set, the Belarusian industry will come to a halt. This being true, the people will stream into the streets and have Lukashenko ousted from office.

According to Mikhail Marinich, it isn’t a mere coincidence that he joined in opposition ranks. Ex-ambassador says that he many times disagreed with Lukashenko’s policy when being a Minister of exterior economic relations. He even filed in resignations a few times. Now he confesses that in reality he never intended to nominate himself as candidate for the president. Instead, the real nominee was supposed to be a more high-ranking official from Lukashenko’s encirclement. The crew, which backed Marinich, had been originally designed for that man. But at the very last moment their plans changed.

It was namely Marinich’s support at all levels of power and financial circles that scared the Belarusian authorities most and they did their best to deny him registration. Now the former ambassador will work for the victory of a united democratic candidate Viktor Goncharik. He will shortly call on his supporters to cast their votes for Goncharik.