Former political prisoner Siarhei Tsikhanouski has proposed a new oversight body for Belarusian opposition forces in exile, raising questions about how it would fit with powers already assigned to the Coordination Council.
“Our democratic movement needs serious reforms,” Tsikhanouski said in a YouTube video. Pozirk reported that he outlined two options: a supervisory council for the Office of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the Belarusian opposition leader in exile, or a new “United Office of Democratic Forces.” Either body could help set strategy and review spending, Pozirk reported. No decision to adopt either option has been announced.
Those proposals would intersect with an existing framework. A 2024 protocol involving Tsikhanouskaya, her Office, the United Transitional Cabinet and the Coordination Council describes the Council as a collective representative body and assigns it public oversight of institutions belonging to democratic forces. The protocol calls for Council elections at least every two years. Tsikhanouskaya’s Office said the Council’s second election took place from May 12 to May 19, 2026.
The proposal does not specify which funds or organizations a new body would review. Tsikhanouskaya’s Office says it does not provide direct financial assistance or influence how foundations distribute funds. It says Belarusian organizations in exile account to funders for their work and spending but do not currently make full financial reports public, citing security reasons.
Tsikhanouski has also questioned Tsikhanouskaya’s political legitimacy. DW reported that he said she had some recognition from the European Union (EU) but lacked legitimacy among people living in Belarus. Her Office says she won the 2020 presidential election and cites that claim as the basis for her position that she represents Belarusians. The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) said it could not observe that election because Belarusian authorities did not issue a timely invitation. The EU later said it did not recognize the announced results and considered the election neither free nor fair.
Pozirk’s historical review cited a consultative council formed in 1999 that lasted about three years, a coalition that backed a single candidate in 2006 before weakening, and a 2022 effort to form another democratic-forces council that quickly lost momentum. The outlet linked recurring disputes to exile groups’ limited influence inside Belarus and internal competition over leadership and resources. It also argued Tsikhanouskaya’s team may have little to gain from Tsikhanouski’s proposal.
Political scientist Yury Drakakhrust described the current situation among democratic forces as a crisis and doubted Tsikhanouski could secure agreement from all the figures he proposed, DW reported. After his release on June 21, 2025, Tsikhanouskaya said the two were “not competitors” and “complement one another,” according to a statement from her Office. The proposal’s final form and prospects for agreement remain unsettled.
