BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS
DATE:
20/04/2010
Lukashenko says Kyrgyzistan-style unrest 'impossible' in Belarus
Minsk - Aleksander Lukashenko, Belarus' authoritarian President, on Wednesday said an overthrow of his regime by opposition forces as seen in Kyrgyzstan "was absolutely impossible."
"As long as I am president, I will not let it happen," a defiant Lukashenko said during an annual state-of-the-nation speech to parliament.
Lukashenko earlier in the day ordered that Kurmanbek Bakiyev, Kyrgyzstan's ousted leader, allowed into Belarus, following weeks of mass anti-government protests in the Central Asian nation.
Violent street demonstrations similar to those that forced Bakiyev to flee Kyrgyzstan, were highly unlikely Belarus because the Belarusian government was popular, Lukashenko claimed.
"Look around, at any government building or residence (in Minsk), there are no high fences," he said. "We (the Belarusian leadership) have nothing to fear."
Were major public disturbances to take place in Belarus, the government is prepared to deal with them, he said.
"Let them (Belarus' opposition) make no mistake about our commitment on this," he said. "Such shooting (as in Kyrgyzistan) won't happen here ... we will preserve stability and security."
Lukashenko took full control of Belarus in a 1996 constitutional coup, and amended the constitution in 2006 so he could run for a third term in office.
His rule is assisted by a powerful police and secret service, and strong government support to health, housing, and education.
Source:
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