Why Protesters in Belarus Continue to Take to the Streets

For almost three months, thousands of Belarusians from across the social spectrum have joined weekly protests demanding that President Alexander Lukashenko step down after 26 years in power, following an election in August that critics say was neither free nor fair.

The rallies often attract more than 100,000 people, who contend that the victory should have gone to opposition candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya. They include a disparate assortment of civil servants, manual laborers, tech professionals, students and pensioners.

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