Belarusian Opposition’s Coordination Council: Global Platform, Internal Turmoil

While Belarus’s opposition leadership continues to seek international recognition, its primary quasi-parliamentary body, the Coordination Council (CC), is grappling with a severe internal crisis. Representatives of the CC recently brought the plight of Belarusian emigrants before a prominent European forum, even as its own internal coherence appears to be unraveling.

Addressing the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, an assembly within the Council of Europe in Strasbourg from October 28-30, CC members highlighted the critical challenges faced by tens of thousands of Belarusians abroad. Iryna Kholopitsa, a CC member, publicly appealed to Council of Europe Secretary General Alain Berset, detailing how a decree from Alexander Lukashenka has stripped Belarusian consulates abroad of the power to exchange or renew passports. This effectively forces exiles to return to Belarus, where they face significant risk of persecution, leaving many in fear of deportation and struggling with legal status without state support. Though European structures’ concrete response remains unclear due to Berset’s “tight schedule,” this outreach underscores the opposition’s continued attempts to galvanize international support. Concurrently, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, a leading figure, participated in the Paris Peace Forum-2025, hosted by Emmanuel Macron, signaling European leaders’ sustained engagement with her as a crucial political player. The European Parliament itself recently recognized the CC as a “full participant in international parliamentary platforms,” further cementing its external legitimacy.

Yet, beneath this veneer of international recognition, profound cracks have appeared within the Coordination Council itself. In a dramatic week, several prominent deputies, including the entire six-member “Volya” faction, announced their departure. The immediate catalyst was the CC’s failure to adopt a proposal by “Volya” to introduce polygraph testing for its delegates – a motion that lacked quorum, with only 21 out of 77 delegates casting a vote.

This push for polygraph tests was not arbitrary; it stemmed from deeper concerns within the CC, notably following the unexplained disappearance of former CC speaker Anzhelika Melnikova, and allegations of sexual harassment leveled against Pavel Latushka, deputy head of the United Transitional Cabinet and a CC delegate, by Olga Karpushonok. Coincidentally, Karpushonok announced her exit from the CC almost simultaneously with the “Volya” faction. Adding to the exodus, Alexander Knyrovich, an entrepreneur and popular blogger from the “Belarusians” faction, also resigned. In a scathing statement shared with CC members on Telegram, Knyrovich launched fierce criticism against the body’s leadership, accusing it of being unduly influenced by what he termed Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s “ruling party.” He questioned Melnikova’s disappearance and her alleged sole access to donor funds, demanding accountability from those who permitted such arrangements. Knyrovich further lambasted Pavel Latushka, who, in his dual role as a CC member and Tsikhanouskaya’s deputy, was accused of failing to lead the Council effectively, instead reducing it to a mere “appendage” of Tsikhanouskaya’s Office.

Knyrovich’s critique culminated in a grim forecast: he predicted “failure and public catastrophe” for the CC in its next elections, slated for no later than May 2026. He challenged his former colleagues, asking how they intend to conduct legitimate elections amidst the CC’s increasing marginalization. He raised critical questions about the potential for extending mandates, abandoning the project due to “difficult times,” and the viability of elections with potentially minimal voter turnout, questioning whether such results could even be deemed valid. These internal fissures, emerging despite the international stage the opposition now commands, cast a long shadow over the Coordination Council’s future and its capacity to genuinely represent the aspirations of the Belarusian people.