EU: Belarus Presidential Elections were Neither Free nor Fair

On 11 August, EU High Representative Josep Borrell issued a statement on behalf of the EU on the recent presidential elections in Belarus.

“The EU has been following the developments leading to the presidential elections closely,” he said. “During the electoral campaign, the people of Belarus have demonstrated the desire for democratic change.”

“However, the elections were neither free nor fair,” the statement highlighted, referring to the violence used by state authorities after the election day that caused at least one death and many injuries.

“Thousands of people were detained and the crackdown on freedoms of assembly, media and expression intensified,” Mr Borrell noted before calling on the Belarusian authorities to release all detainees.

“It is against this background that we will be assessing the Belarusian authorities’ actions to address the current situation, and we will be conducting an in-depth review of the EU’s relations with Belarus,” Mr Borrell underlined.  “This may include, inter alia, taking measures against those responsible for the observed violence, unjustified arrests, and falsification of election results.”

“We call on the Belarusian political leadership to initiate a genuine and inclusive dialogue with broader society to avoid further violence,” concluded the statement, adding that the EU will continue to support a democratic, independent, sovereign, prosperous and stable Belarus.

Image: European Union