Just a year and a half on from Belarus’ hotly disputed presidential election, the Eastern European nation’s long-time leader Alexander Lukashenko has admitted, at least jokingly, that he might not be entirely focused on maintaining a positive public opinion.
Asked to provide his take on the “essence of Belarusian democracy” by a journalist during a major speech during a state-of-the-nation address on Friday, Lukashenko gave an unorthodox review of his 27 years in power.
“I’m a dictator, it’s hard for me to understand democracy,” he responded.
The strongman leader then struck a more serious tone, arguing that his vision of democracy was quite different from the one preached by “the free world and the bastion of democracy – the US.”