EU Denied Lukashenka's 'Deputies' Legitimacy
- 27.02.2024, 11:22
The European Union also called for the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners and their rehabilitation.
The new "deputies" of the "House of Representatives" and "local councils" of Belarus and the whole electoral process do not have sufficient democratic legitimacy. High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell made a statement following the results of the "parliamentary elections" in Belarus.
“The continuously increasing and unprecedented level of repression, human rights violations, restrictions to political participation and access to independent media by the Lukashenka regime have severely undermined the legitimacy of the electoral process. In this context, it is clear that conditions for free and fair elections were not met and new parliamentary and local officials lack democratic legitimacy,” Borrell's statement reads.
The Vice-President of the European Commission also expressed regret that the Belarusian authorities, contrary to international obligations, did not invite representatives of the OSCE ODIHR as observers.
Borrell, on behalf of the EU, expressed support for the right of Belarusians to elect their representatives through democratic and transparent elections, called for the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners and their rehabilitation.
“The EU commends and supports the efforts of the Belarusian democratic forces and civil society. The determination of the Belarusian people, who at great personal risk continue to stand up for democracy, is an important factor for hope," the statement reads.
Recall that on February 25, a single voting day was held in Belarus. It is impossible to verify the information published by the Belarusian CEC — there is no independent monitoring of the campaign, there are no independent exit polls.
Only candidates loyal to the regime were allowed to participate in these "elections". Hundreds of thousands of active citizens in 2020 and subsequent years left the country, fleeing from repression, thousands of opponents of the authorities are in prison.