February 27, Pozirk. The parliamentary and local elections in Belarus took place amid the deteriorating human rights situation in the country and “were anything but free or fair,” the European Human Rights Ambassadors said in a joint statement.
“We strongly condemn the continuing persecution and intimidation of representatives of civil society, including human rights defenders, journalists, independent trade unionists and persons belonging to national minorities,” they said. Diplomats from Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom aligned with the statement.
“The unprecedented scope of repression and restrictions on political participation in Belarus have prevented the potential for fair and legitimate elections,” they noted.
The Belarusian authorities’ failure to invite election observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) demonstrated a lack of transparency and violations of international election standards, the statement said.
Belarusian people have the democratic right to elect their representatives through fair and free elections in line with Belarus’ OSCE commitments, it stressed, urging Minsk “to engage in a genuine and inclusive dialogue with all elements of society.”
The Polish foreign ministry described the polls as “a new attempt to create an alternative realm, deepen the internal crisis and hold on to power at any cost at the expense of own society.”
The Norwegian foreign ministry condemned the “sham elections” in Belarus as “a further deterioration of democratic principles and fundamental freedoms.” “We condemn the systemic repressions in Belarus and support the democratic aspirations of the Belarusian people,” it said on X.
Denmark’s foreign ministry also supported Belarusians’ right to elect their representatives, doubting whether the February 25 elections gave them this opportunity.
Earlier, Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billström expressed solidarity with Śviatłana Cichanoŭskaja, assuring her of Sweden’s support for Belarusians in “their struggle for freedom.”
The February 25 elections for the House of Representatives and local councils in Belarus took place amid mass-scale reprisals and a political landscape purge. Not a single opposition candidate was allowed to run.
The United States condemned the Belarus’ elections as a sham. The German foreign ministry, Ukrainian and German MPs, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe made similar statements.
Josep Borrell, the EU foreign and security chief, said that new parliamentary and local officials lack democratic legitimacy.
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin has congratulated Alaksandar Łukašenka “on the confident victory of the Belarusian patriotic forces.”
