Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya is the Head of the United Transitional Cabinet of Belarus and is the country’s President-elect, widely acknowledged as the winner of the August 9, 2020, presidential election against the autocrat Aliaksandr Lukashenka. Independent observers agree she emerged victorious in a vote marred by fraud and followed by brutal crackdowns.
When Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Tsikhanouskaya was one of the first leaders to condemn the aggression, openly support Ukraine, and initiate an anti-war campaign. She has consistently called for stronger sanctions against both Putin’s and Lukashenka’s regimes.
As the leader of Belarus’s democratic forces, Ms. Tsikhanouskaya has built critical democratic institutions in exile. She established the United Transitional Cabinet, which coordinates strategic decisions for the movement, and launched the Coordination Council, an elected proto-parliament in exile that represents the voice of Belarusians worldwide.
Tsikhanouskaya has visited over 40 countries, advocating for the release of more than 1,300 political prisoners, securing humanitarian aid for Belarusians, and pushing for a peaceful, democratic future through free and fair elections. She has been de facto recognized by many nations as the legitimate leader of Belarus. Her global outreach includes high-profile meetings with President Emmanuel Macron, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, President Donald Trump, Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, President Maia Sandu, and other world leaders. In these meetings, she has called for decisive action to weaken Lukashenka’s grip on power and prevent Belarus from being absorbed into Russia’s sphere of influence.
Under Tsikhanouskaya’s leadership, Belarusian democratic forces have forged strategic partnerships with the European Union, United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and other global allies. She initiated a Contact Group with the Council of Europe, to strengthen Belarus’s engagement with international organizations and ensure that Belarus remains a priority on the global agenda.
Tsikhanouskaya’s journey into politics began as a personal fight for justice. In 2020, she entered the presidential race after her husband, Sergey Tihanovski, was arrested for announcing his own candidacy. Lukashenka derisively dismissed her as a “housewife,” claiming that a woman could never become president. Yet, Tsikhanouskaya defied the odds, uniting opposition forces and leading the largest democratic movement in Belarus’s history. Following her forced exile, she inspired unprecedented peaceful protests, with some rallies attracting hundreds of thousands of people demanding change.
Between 2020 and 2025, Tsikhanouskaya became a global symbol of peaceful resistance, democratic resilience, and strong female leadership. Her tireless efforts have earned her numerous prestigious accolades, including the Sakharov Prize from the European Parliament, the International Four Freedoms Award, and the Charlemagne Prize, Lantos Human Rights Prize (2024). She was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in both 2021 and 2022 and has been recognized in Bloomberg’s Top 50 Most Influential People, Financial Times’ Top 12 Most Influential Women, and Politico’s Top 28 Most Influential Europeans.
