EU Parliament Calls on EU Not to Recognise So-Called ‘Presidential Elections’ in Belarus

The European Parliament has adopted a resolution calling on the European Union not to recognise the so-called ‘presidential elections’ in Belarus scheduled for 26 January. This is stated on the official website of the institution. 

The resolution was adopted on 22 January. 429 MEPs voted in favour of it, 205 voted against, and 23 abstained. 

The document condemns the ongoing repressions in Belarus, which are intensifying ahead of the so-called elections.  

‘The European Parliament calls on the EU, its member states and the international community not to recognise the legitimacy of the current dictator Alexander Lukashenko as president after this vote,’ the text says. 

The MEPs noted that Lukashenko has been ruling the country since 1994, and this time his ‘competitors’ in the election are only formal candidates.  

‘Stressing the non-recognition of Lukashenko as president and the position that the entire Belarusian regime is illegitimate, MEPs express their unwavering support for the Belarusian people in their quest for democracy, freedom and respect for human rights,’ the resolution reads.

The Parliament also expressed concern over the situation with political prisoners in Belarus, whose number, according to the Human Rights Centre ‘Viasna’, exceeds 1200 people. MEPs call on the EU to continue investigating human rights violations in Belarus and to help bring those responsible to justice.

The resolution condemns the complicity of the Lukashenko regime in Russia's war against Ukraine and the transformation of Belarus into a subordinate entity within the ‘union state’.  

The Parliament called on the EU and partners to extend sanctions against individuals and organisations involved in internal repression in Belarus and in the country's participation in Russia's aggression against Ukraine.

After the rigged elections in August 2020, Lukashenko brutally suppressed mass protests in Belarus. Since then, real opposition has disappeared in the country, independent media has been blocked, and opponents of the regime are either in prison or in exile. 

The leader of the united Belarusian opposition, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, stressed that the upcoming so-called presidential elections in Belarus cannot be considered elections and called on the West not to recognise them.