EU on sham election in Belarus: ‘Neither free, nor fair’
The European Union said on Sunday that the so-called presidential elections in Belarus were “neither free, nor fair”.
In a statement, released yesterday, EU High Representative Kaja Kallas and Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos said that the people of Belarus “deserve a real say in who governs their country”.
“The relentless and unprecedented repression of human rights, restrictions to political participation and access to independent media in Belarus, have deprived the electoral process of any legitimacy,” they said. “We urge the regime to immediately and unconditionally release all political prisoners, over a thousand of whom are arbitrarily detained, including an employee of the Delegation of the European Union.”
Kaja Kallas and Marta Kos also noted that the 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, prevented this independent body from access to key stages of the election process. “This is yet another proof of a total absence of credibility of these elections,” the statement said.
For these reasons and because of the Belarusian regime involvement 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, Kaja Kallas and Marta Kos said. “Once Belarus embarks on a democratic transition, the EU is ready to support the country in stabilising its economy and reform its institutions,” they said.
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