{"id":123313,"date":"2025-01-25T16:07:43","date_gmt":"2025-01-25T13:07:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/123313\/"},"modified":"2026-03-09T20:10:49","modified_gmt":"2026-03-09T20:10:49","slug":"belarus-invites-hundreds-of-foreign-observers-as-west-denounces-election-as-sham","status":"publish","type":"longreads","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/123313\/","title":{"rendered":"Belarus invites hundreds of foreign observers as West denounces election as sham"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka and other officials have claimed that the January presidential election is conducted \u201cfor the country\u2019s population\u201d only, dismissing Western criticism as irrelevant. However, the regime is clearly angered by statements from Europe.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\n (mlyn.by)<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Belarus hits back at West, invites fringe observers<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On January 22, Anatol H\u0142az, spokesman for the Belarusian foreign ministry, pushed back against criticism of the election from the European Commission and the European Parliament, accusing these European organizations of interfering in Belarus\u2019s domestic affairs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also targeted the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), which declined to send observers after receiving an invitation just days before the poll. H\u0142az noted that Belarus was expecting 450 observers from 49 countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To improve its image, the regime has engaged in pro-\u0141uka\u0161enka propaganda in Europe and invited fringe European politicians to act as election observers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anonymous Austrian \u201cpatriots\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In January 2008, ahead of Georgia\u2019s elections, posters of Mikheil Saakashvili appeared in Germany to highlight Tbilisi\u2019s European aspirations and encourage Georgian expatriates to vote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2025, Minsk attempted to replicate that campaign. Pro-\u0141uka\u0161enka banners and posters have been spotted in Belgrade, Vienna, and Rome. In Serbia, the pro-Russian group Nashi staged a pro-\u0141uka\u0161enka car rally. In Vienna, posters were distributed by anonymous \u201cpatriots of Austria.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These campaigns received little coverage in local media but were heavily promoted by Belarusian state propaganda, citing the foreign ministry as a source. Evidence suggests these campaigns were orchestrated by Belarusian authorities, although they seem illogical since Minsk has not opened any polling stations for Belarusians in Europe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Far-right and populist politicians<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Belarus has a tradition of inviting friendly Westerners\u2014individuals who praise the high-level organization, transparency and fairness of its elections. These observers are presented as a counterweight to ODIHR monitors, whom the authorities accuse of bias. During this election, European observers have been framed as part of a \u201cconstructive\u201d Western society willing to engage with Belarus. This narrative is actively promoted by Prime Minister Raman Ha\u0142o\u016d\u010danka.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, \u0141uka\u0161enka\u2019s bad reputation and support for the Russian war against Ukraine have made it challenging to attract reputable Western observers, despite Minsk\u2019s promises to cover travel, food and accommodation expenses. Those who do attend are mostly marginal politicians with questionable reputations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regular attendees include Gunnar Lindemann, a member of the Berlin State Parliament from the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, who has faced criticism from his own party members for his eastern overtures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Swiss nationals Eric Weber, Patrik Kretz, and Wilhelm Wyss also plan to observe the voting, as reported by Switzerland\u2019s Blick<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Weber, described as a \u201cpolitical troublemaker\u201d within the Swiss far-right, has reportedly been invited by Belarusian Foreign Minister Maksim Ry\u017canko\u016d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Weber has faced criticism in Switzerland for his support of German National Socialism and is currently under investigation for election fraud after a previous conviction for the same offense in 2014. In November 2016, a judge acquitted activist J\u00fcrgen Saalfrank, who Weber had sued for calling him a Nazi. The judge ruled that the defender proved Weber had sympathies for German National Socialism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Weber had previously traveled to Belarus and met with Swiss Ambassador Christine Honegger Zolotukhin in Minsk last summer, according to Blick<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kretz and Wyss represent the right-wing populist Swiss People\u2019s Party. A year ago, they attempted to \u201cwhitewash\u201d the Belarusian parliamentary election, the paper said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Swiss foreign ministry informed Blick<\/em> that it had no connection to the invitation extended to the three Swiss politicians to observe the presidential election in Belarus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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