Lukashenko comments on next presidential election in Belarus

Diana Panchenko and Aleksandr Lukashenko

In an interview with Ukrainian journalist Diana Panchenko Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said that he has not yet decided whether he will run for president in the next election, BelTA has learned. “I haven't made any decisions yet, honestly. Perhaps it may look like some kind of couldn't-care-less attitude on my part, but I have so many issues to solve right now. As soon as the time comes to make a decision, I will do it. Right now, I need to make sure the country holds out in the current situation, does not get involved in a mess, as people say. I have to guide my people on this very thin, fragile ice, so that we don't fall through. This is the most important thing for me now. Both my future and the future of the next government depend on this. This is what I am doing right now. Honestly, I have not thought about it, and even in my family circle we have not discussed this topic. It is not the time to think about it,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said. During the interview Diana Panchenko shared her impressions of Minsk. She said that she liked the atmosphere of order and security in the city. She expressed her hope that Belarusians understood the main value and their main resource — peace. “I have a question (and maybe you have an answer): what will happen to all this without Lukashenko?” Diana Panchenko asked.

Very soon the country will have elections to the parliament and the Belarusian People's Congress. The president said he would do everything to help Belarusians determine their future. “I will be persuading my people. I will be telling my people the truth. Our people themselves understand what can happen. They understand that we can lose this island of peace and