Belarusian opposition politician Tsikhanouskaya urges European Union to respect people's choice
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"I call on you not to recognise these fraudulent elections," Tikhanovskaya said in video addressed to the European Council, adding that "Lukashenko has lost all legitimacy in the eyes of our nation and the world."
Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, the Belarusian opposition leader on Wednesday urged European Union leaders to reject the results of the presidential election which sparked massive protests and saw strongman leader Alexander Lukashenko claim a sixth term.
"I call on you not to recognise these fraudulent elections," Tikhanovskaya said in video addressed to the European Council, adding that "Lukashenko has lost all legitimacy in the eyes of our nation and the world."
Tikhanovskaya, the main challenger in Belarus's disputed presidential election had said on Monday that she was ready to take over the country's leadership after a wave of protests against President Alexander Lukashenko.
"I did not want to be a politician. But fate decreed that I'd find myself on the frontline of a confrontation against arbitrary rule and injustice," Svetlana Tikhanovskaya said in a new video from exile in Lithuania.
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned world leaders against interfering in Belarus, country engulfed in the political crisis, as protests against its leader continued to swell.
Putin spoke to French President and German chancellor in separate phone calls and said that any such attempts would lead to an escalation of the political crisis in Belarus.
(With inputs from agencies)