Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Friday the International Monetary Fund was making unacceptable political demands.
Belarus requested financial aid from the IMF and the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Community (EurAsEC) after experiencing a severe economic downturn combined with political unrest.
"They [IMF management] are economists and financial experts. And they want us to release political prisoners... What does this have to do with the IMF mission?" Lukashenko told RIA Novosti. "This is the first clause in their demands. Now they have revealed their true face."
The Belarusian leader said IMF recommendations concerning democratic improvements in the country were irrelevant.
"They have no democracy at all. They should learn democracy from us," he said. "What kind of democracy is it when they wait for trouble on our currency market and then try to strangle us?"
He said that his economic program to defuse the currency crisis gripping the country largely followed IMF recommendations.
The value of the Belarusian ruble plummeted in the first five months of the year as a result of large trade deficits and generous government spending ahead of the December 2010 presidential elections.
In spring, the government devalued the national currency by 36%, froze prices on some staple foods and introduced fuel rationing to keep the lid on a deepening financial crisis.
