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Svetlana TihanovskayaBelarusian politician, candidate for President of the Republic of Belarus in the 2020 elections
Date of Birth: 11.09.1982
Country:  Belarus |
Content:
- Personal Life and Education
- Professional Career
- Political Career
- Campaign and Alliances
- Aftermath of the Election
Svetlana Tikhanovskaya: Belarusian Politician and 2020 Presidential Candidate
Personal Life and Education
Svetlana Tikhanovskaya was born in 1988 in Mikaševičy, Belarus. She graduated high school with honors in 2000 and went on to study at the Philological Faculty of the Mozyr State Pedagogical University. She graduated in 2004 with a degree in Foreign Languages (English and German).
Professional Career
After graduation, Tikhanovskaya moved to Homel, where she worked as an English translator for various organizations, including the Chernobyl Life Line charity.
Political Career
2020 Presidential ElectionFollowing the Central Election Commission's (CEC) denial of registration to Sergei Tikhanovsky's initiative group for the 2020 presidential election, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya submitted her own application to register as a candidate on May 15, 2020. The CEC registered her initiative group on May 20, and her husband, Sergei, became her campaign manager.
Tikhanovskaya's candidacy was a direct response to her husband's arrest during a signature collection process on May 29. Despite facing pressure and arrests of her supporters, she garnered over 100,000 signatures in support of her candidacy.
Amidst threats and concerns for her safety, Tikhanovskaya decided to continue her campaign. On June 30, the CEC registered her as a presidential candidate despite an error in her tax declaration.
Campaign and Alliances
Tikhanovskaya, along with Viktor Babaryko and Valery Tsepkalo, formed a united opposition coalition in July 2020. Their common goals included urging participation in the August 9 election, ensuring fair observation, releasing political prisoners, and demanding new elections with the participation of alternative candidates currently jailed.
Tikhanovskaya held several mass rallies, including a gathering of up to 70,000 people in Minsk on July 30. The authorities later prevented her from holding a rally on August 6.
Aftermath of the Election
Following the disputed election results, Tikhanovskaya left her apartment for safety reasons and remains in Minsk with her staff and journalists.
