Belarus Opposition Leader Says General Strike to Begin Monday

Tsikhanouskaya had earlier set up a <x0 mulculatum of the people” so Lukashenko could resign by midnight tonight, promising to call a general strike if he does not.

The regime once again showed the Belarusns that force is the only thing capable of. That's why tomorrow, October 26th, will start a national strike,” she said.

Otherwise, more than 100,000 citizens protested against authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko today, just before the opposition's deadline to resign.

Protesters clashed with police in Minsk and security services dropped at least 10 bombs on them, Reuters reports.

Local media reported that some of the journalists covering the protest were arrested.

Police arrested several demonstrators in the western town of Lida of Belarus, while sights from Minsk show a convoy of buses bringing members of security forces to the centre of the city.

Belarus has been hit by a political crisis since the August 9th presidential elections, when mass antigovernmental protests began throughout the country, initiated by the official results of a vote that Lukashenko won more than 80 per cent of the vote. Lucas' opponents claim the elections were stolen.

Despite the authorities' efforts to eliminate demonstrations by arresting and suppressing demonstrators and activists, mass protests were not extinguished after two and a half months. Lukashenko, 66, an ally of Russian leader Vladimir Putin, has led Belarus with a hand set since July 1994.