US condemns fake parliamentary and local elections in Belarus
Kyiv • UNN
The United States has condemned the sham parliamentary and local elections in Belarus as not free and fair due to a climate of fear, lack of democratic processes, denial of registration to opposition parties, and imprisonment of political figures.
The United States condemns the sham parliamentary and local elections of the Lukashenko regime that ended today in Belarus. The elections were held in an atmosphere of fear, in which no election process could be called democratic. This is stated in the statement of the US State Department, published on the website of the White House, UNN reports.
Details
The head of the press service of the US State Department, Matthew Miller, said that all independent parties in Belarus were denied registration, and political figures are under arrest or outside the country. According to him, these actions have frozen political activity in Belarus. The representative of the State Department also noted that the authorities refused to invite OSCE observers to the elections.
The regime continues to hold more than 1,400 political prisoners. All independent political figures have been either detained or exiled. All independent political parties were denied registration. Belarusians abroad could only vote if they returned to Minsk, where they would most likely face reprisals.
The United States called on Lukashenka's regime to stop the repression, release all political prisoners, and open a dialogue with its political opponents. The State Department emphasized that the Belarusian people deserve better.
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Four parties took part in the elections: Belaya Rus, the Liberal Democratic Party of Belarus, the Communist Party, and the Republican Party of Labor and Justice. According to the CEC of Belarus, the turnout at the close of polls was 72.98%.
