Belarus opposition leader Sviatlana Tikhanouskaya says her supporters have begun a nationwide strike after President Lukashenko ignored a midnight deadline to resign.
Hundreds of students have gathered outside universities in the capital Minsk clapping and chanting slogans.
And local media reported groups of strikers at many major state-controlled enterprises.
But government spokeswoman Alexandra Isaeva said on Monday morning all companies were “operating in routine mode”.
Tikhanouskaya had given Lukashenko until Sunday to quit power, halt violence against protesters and release political prisoners, warning he would otherwise face a general strike from Monday.
The 66-year-old Lukashenko, who the opposition accuses of stealing August polls, ignored the ultimatum and police cracked down on the latest of a series of opposition protests on Sunday.
The protest movement has kept up a series of large-scale demonstrations for the past two months, with tens of thousands taking to the streets every Sunday.
Jaroslav Romanchuk is a director of the Scientific Research Mises Centre think tank and a former candidate in the 2010 presidential election. He says the situation in the country is becoming increasingly desperate for millions of Belarusians.
“People are running out of savings, social security is also falling apart and there are no jobs around,” he says. “But if the European Union expresses continued solidarity, probably joined by Russia, that would be the end of the Lukashenko regime.”
And you can watch the full interview in the video player above.
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