Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko said he’ll leave his post once a new constitution is adopted, according to state media.
Belarus has long experienced unrest by pro-democracy demonstrators who viewed Lukashenko’s claimed victory in the Aug. 9 presidential election as illegitimate. The United States and several countries within the European Union have refused to recognize Lukashenko’s presidency.
“I am not going to shape the constitution to suit my needs,” Lukashenko told state media. “I am not going to be the president once the new constitution is in place.”
Lukashenko’s comments came as he was visiting a hospital in Belarus’s capital, Minsk, on Friday, according to NBC News. He suggested the constitution puts too much power in the hands of the president.
“We need to create a new constitution, but it should benefit the country. I don’t want the country to fall to ruin later on,” Lukashenko said.
Lukashenko is serving his sixth term as president and has been in power for the past 26 years. He is often referred to as “Europe’s last dictator.”
He has enforced violent crackdowns on protesters who have taken to the streets over the past three months. His hardline approach to trying to quell unrest was met with sanctions on Lukashenko and other officials from the European Union.
Hundreds of demonstrators have been arrested, and some have alleged torture while they were held in custody.
