Lukashenko tells CNN how long he will be president
An archive photo
MINSK, 4 October (BelTA) – In the interview with CNN Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said how long he can stay on as president, BelTA has learned.
In the course of the interview, the journalist mentioned the work on constitutional amendments underway in Belarus. “I know that you are overseeing this matter. You are the first president of Belarus. Do you think there will be a second president of Belarus?” the journalist asked.
“I swear, I am not going to be president until I die. I swear. Everything will depend on the situation in Belarus. If you and your patrons in the West do not interfere in our affairs, and we feel calm and confident as a sovereign and independent nation and a people who deserves to be independent and sovereign, believe me, everything will happen sooner than you think. But if you dare to intervene in our affairs again, like last year, nothing good will come out of it, it will be as bad as you think right now,” the head of state said.
The interviewer stated that Aleksandr Lukashenko had been in office for 27 years already. He asked when Aleksandr Lukashenko would step down. “Look, I have been president, as you say, for 27 years serving my people. But I haven’t reached the age of members of your Washington party committee yet. I think your president will soon turn 90. So let’s take the age of your Washington patron as a benchmark. Why not?” Aleksandr Lukashenko suggested ironically.
“Don’t worry though, I don’t think I will live that long. A person can be president as long as he wishes and as long as the people want him to be president, but only if he is healthy and capable of running the country. The situation here is rather complicated. So the country needs an energetic, healthy person, elected by the people, and this person needs to want to run the country. There needs to be peace and calm, so as not to ruin what I have built as the first president of Belarus. But if you keep attacking us all the time, throw bombs, deny us our own say, our face and our independence, I will be president forever. I will defend what I have created together with the Belarusian people at the price of my own life,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.
