President Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus has accused the opposition of trying to stage a coup, amid widespread anger over a disputed election. Speaking as opposition leaders formed a council to organise a transfer of power, he said: “We definitely consider this as an attempt to seize power.” The opposition contests the official results of the 9 August poll, which gave Mr Lukashenko 80% of the vote. The country has since seen 10 days of street protests and strikes. The protesters allege massive vote-rigging and say the winner was opposition candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya – who officially secured only about 10% of votes. There were no independent election observers.
Belarus leader accuses opposition of staging coup – BBC News
