EU Commission Declares Lukashenko’s Sham Belarusian ‘Elections’ Illegitimate, Unfair, and Unfree

High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas and European Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy Martha Kos have called the sham presidential election in Belarus illegitimate in a joint statement.

This is stated on the website of the European Commission.

‘Today's sham elections in Belarus were neither free nor fair. The people of Belarus deserve a real say in who governs their country. The ruthless and unprecedented crackdown on human rights, restrictions on political participation and access to independent media in Belarus have deprived the electoral process of any legitimacy,’ the text says.

Representatives of the European Commission noted that the decision of the Lukashenko regime to invite the OSCE / Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights only 10 days before the election made it impossible for this independent body to access key stages of the electoral process: ‘This is further proof of the complete lack of credibility of these elections.’

The statement also notes that for these reasons, as well as the Belarusian regime's involvement in Russia's aggressive war against Ukraine and its hybrid attacks on its neighbours, the EU will continue to impose restrictive and targeted measures against the regime, while financially supporting civil society, Belarusian democratic forces in exile, and Belarusian culture.

‘Once Belarus begins its democratic transition, the EU stands ready to support the country in stabilising its economy and reforming its institutions. Democracy requires free, fair and transparent elections that take place in a society where human rights prevail, without restrictions on freedom of assembly or expression, and where the media can operate freely. This is not the case in Belarus. The EU stands with the Belarusian people and our support for their aspirations for a free, democratic, sovereign and independent Belarus, as part of a peaceful and prosperous Europe, is unwavering,’ the European Commissioners said.

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas and EU Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy Martha Kos also called for the ‘immediate and unconditional’ release of all political prisoners, more than a thousand of whom are being held without cause, including an employee of the EU Delegation.

On 26 January, Belarus held regular presidential ‘elections’. Voting ended, and polling stations closed at 20:00. The majority of voters again ‘voted’ for the self-proclaimed president of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, who is not recognised by a number of countries. This time, 87.6%. 

This is evidenced by the results of the exit poll, BelTA reports. According to the survey, 87.6% of voters voted for Lukashenka, Sergei Sirankov received 2.7% of the votes, 1.8% of respondents voted for Oleg Gaidukevich, 1.6% of voters supported Anna Kanopatskaya, 1.2% of voters supported Alexander Khizhnyak, and 5.1% of respondents voted against all.

This is Lukashenko's seventh consecutive term as head of Belarus, which he has secured through massive fraud, unprecedented repression of protesters, the destruction of real opposition and the blocking of independent media. At the same time, opponents of the regime are either imprisoned or in exile in other countries.