22.10.2012
Lukashenko denies reports he is grooming Nikolai as his successor
MINSK, 22 October (BelTA) - President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko denied reports that he is grooming his youngest son Nikolai as his successor.
“I swear that I have never even thought about that! This is utter nonsense! In Belarus a person who is 35 years old as a minimum is eligible to stand for elections. He turned 8. So, you want to say that I will be President for another 30 years to transfer the power to the kid?” the head of state said in an interview with The Independent and the BBC news channel.
“God forbid that I should be President at that age, or that my kid should become President,” Alexander Lukashenko added.
“This idea is generated by our freaks, otherwise I will not call them, to scare people. They say: ‘Look, here is the family. The power will be transferred by inheritance and so on’. I tell you again: my children are fed up with my presidency. If you knew how much I work and what I got from this Presidency, you would agree with me,” the head of state said.
“I swear that I have never even thought about that! This is utter nonsense! In Belarus a person who is 35 years old as a minimum is eligible to stand for elections. He turned 8. So, you want to say that I will be President for another 30 years to transfer the power to the kid?” the head of state said in an interview with The Independent and the BBC news channel.
“God forbid that I should be President at that age, or that my kid should become President,” Alexander Lukashenko added.
“This idea is generated by our freaks, otherwise I will not call them, to scare people. They say: ‘Look, here is the family. The power will be transferred by inheritance and so on’. I tell you again: my children are fed up with my presidency. If you knew how much I work and what I got from this Presidency, you would agree with me,” the head of state said.