Lukashenko: I don’t cling to power, I will do my best to quietly hand it over to new generation

As he visited the church of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker in Logoisk, Minsk Oblast on 7 January, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko stated that he does not cling to power and will do everything to calmly pass it on to a new generation, BelTA reported.

Alexander Lukashenko said: “I don’t cling to power. I will do everything to quietly and calmly pass on this power to a new generation. Because I hope that I and you as well will still live under the new government. My kids will live. I want to see how they will live. My kids are not only my own children. My kids are all these children. I want to see how they will live. It is my goal. This is why the fact that I don’t try to keep power with force is my great advantage.”

“We’ve lived through hard times. Thank god we are past it. We’ve become smarter. Both you and we. And our people, our nation,” the Belarusian leader stressed. “On the whole, our nation is good. We are now dealing with severe mental and psychological attacks. But the people hang on. Those, who come to us as guests, express envy by saying that our people are good, hospitable, kind, and sympathetic. Why is that? Because our nation is good. From the root. They hold on.”

Alexander Lukashenko reminded that in his New Year address he had talked about a forthcoming change of generations as well. He made a few comments about the matter in the temple, too: “The future and particularly the next five-year term will see a change of generations. I and many of those, who stand with me, will not live forever. It is necessary to raise a young generation. The next generation. Our kids, who will take Belarus in their hands and will take good care of it, will appreciate it. Well, at least as well as you and we, the current generation, took care of it and made this country sovereign and independent. For the first time in history. This is why a change of generations is always a painful process. But I promise to you that we will take steps so that you would not notice any painfulness.”

Addressing the people, the head of state remarked that a serious exam was ahead of them. “We will have to determine a normal government, a normal president. A government that will identify the way our country will develop. We will not avoid it. It is what the change of generations is all about,” he said.

“I am not saying that I will flee somewhere tomorrow. As long as I have health, I will stay with you. In any position I will keep working in order to preserve what we have created with our own hands,” Alexander Lukashenko assured.