Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya is the National Leader of Belarus, Head of the United Transition Cabinet, and President-elect of Belarus, widely recognized as the true winner of the 2020 presidential election against dictator Aliaksandr Lukashenka.
After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, she created and chaired the Cabinet, uniting the democratic movement and supporting anti-war resistance in Belarus, including sabotage of Russian troop logistics and Belarusian volunteers fighting for Ukraine. She has visited 28 countries, meeting leaders such as Biden, Merkel, Macron, von der Leyen, Charles Michel, and Trudeau, advocating for 1500+ political prisoners and democratic transition through free elections.
Her political journey began after her husband Siarhei Tsikhanousky’s arrest, when Lukashenka dismissed her as a “housewife.” She united the opposition, led mass protests of hundreds of thousands, and became the symbol of peaceful struggle and female leadership. Tsikhanouskaya has received the Sakharov Prize, the International Four Freedoms Award, and the Charlemagne Prize. She was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize and named among Bloomberg’s Top 50, Financial Times’ 12 Most Influential Women, and Politico’s 28 Most Influential Europeans.