Sham election in Belarus neither free nor fair, EU says
Pravda Ukraine
Kaja Kallas, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, and Marta Kos, EU Commissioner for Enlargement, have issued a joint statement declaring the 26 January “elections” in Belarus a sham.
Source: European Pravda with reference to the text of the statement
Details: Kallas and Kos stated that the elections held in Belarus today were neither free nor fair, with ruthless and unprecedented repression of human rights, restrictions on political participation, and limitations on access to independent media completely stripping the electoral process of any legitimacy.
They noted that the Lukashenko regime’s decision to invite the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe / Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights only 10 days before the elections deprived this independent body of access to key stages of the electoral process. “This is yet another proof of a total absence of credibility of these elections,” Kallas and Kos asserted.
Quote: “For these reasons, as well as the involvement of the Belarusian regime in Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and its hybrid attacks against its neighbours, the EU will continue imposing restrictive and targeted measures against the regime, while financially supporting civil society, Belarusian democratic forces in exile, and Belarusian culture. Once Belarus embarks on a democratic transition, the EU is ready to support the country, stabilise its economy and reform its institutions.”
Background:
- Belarus held so-called presidential elections on 26 January, with self-proclaimed Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko poised to secure a seventh term.
- Lukashenko said that he does not care whether the West recognises the presidential “elections” taking place on 26 January.
- Lukashenko’s dog urinated at the polling station where its owner cast his vote.
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