Belarusians "will never accept" President Alexander Lukashenko's leadership, opposition challenger Svetlana Tikhanovskaya said Friday at her first press conference since fleeing to Lithuania last week.
Ms Tikhanovskaya, who ran against Mr Lukashenko in a disputed election on 9 August, also said she planned to return to Belarus "when I feel safe there".
The political novice declined to answer questions about her personal safety or about what compelled her to leave Belarus in the aftermath of the election.
Supporters and the Lithuanian government have said she had little choice but to leave after coming under intense pressure from the authorities during a meeting at the Central Election Commission in Minsk.
Belarus opposition activists hold a portrait of Svetlana Tikhanovskaya during a protest in front of the parliament building in Minsk, Belarus, on 17 August. Source: AAP
"It should be clear to the president that there is a need for change. I hope that good sense prevails and the people will be heard and there will be new elections," Ms Tikhanovskaya told reporters.
Ms Tikhanovskaya's campaign has inspired unprecedented mass protests in the former Soviet republic against Mr Lukashenko's 26-year rule.
Asked about Russian support for Mr Lukashenko, she said: "I call on all countries of the world to respect the sovereignty of the Republic of Belarus."
"We don't want to live in fear and falsehoods any more," she said, calling for striking workers to liaise with the coordination council she has appointed to organise pro-democracy protests.
"The creation of the coordination council is aimed at negotiating a peaceful handover of power," she said.
Belarus on Thursday opened a criminal probe into the opposition council, saying it was an unconstitutional attempt to topple Mr Lukashenko.
European Union condemns probe
The EU, which has rejected Mr Lukashenko's re-election, demanded Friday that Belarus halt the criminal probe, accusing the regime of "intimidation".
"The coordination council, which consists of representatives of different parts of Belarusian society, reached out to the authorities for a dialogue and the authorities answered with the opening of a criminal case," EU foreign affairs spokeswoman Nabila Massrali said in a statement.
"In doing so, the Belarusian state authorities have once again reverted to intimidation based on political grounds."
The EU is preparing sanctions targeting a substantial number of people allegedly responsible for rigging the presidential vote and cracking down on the protests.
"We expect the Belarusian authorities to stop the criminal case and instead to engage in a dialogue in view of moving towards a peaceful way out of the current crisis," Ms Massrali said.
