Russia has praised Sunday’s parliamentary elections in Belarus as being free and fair, despite strong Western criticism of the polls. In a statement Tuesday, Russia’s foreign ministry said Moscow is convinced that Belarusians were able to make “a conscious choice” for their candidates. It said Western criticism of the elections was politically motivated. On Monday, […]
Russia Says Belarus Elections ‘Free and Fair’
International Observers Criticize Belarus Vote
International observers are strongly criticizing Sunday’s parliamentary elections in Belarus as not being competitive from the start. The Organization for Security and Cooperation Monday said “a free election depends on people being free to speak, organize and run for office.” The observer mission said none of that happened during the Belarus campaign. U.S. State Department […]
International Observers Criticize Belarus Vote
International observers are strongly criticizing Belarus’ recent parliamentary election as “not [being] competitive from the start,” saying its administrators lacked impartiality. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe had sent more than 300 observers to Belarus to observe the vote. In a statement Monday, it said “a free election depends on people being free […]
Pro-Government Parties Dominate Belarus Vote
Parties supporting Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko have dominated a parliamentary vote boycotted by the country’s main opposition parties. Election officials announced 109 winning candidates Monday – none of them opposition members. Main opposition parties declined to take part in the vote to protest what they said was election fraud, along with the detention of political […]
Belarus Reports High Turnout in Boycotted Parliamentary Vote
Election officials in Belarus are reporting high turnout in Sunday’s parliamentary vote, which took place without the country’s main opposition parties. Officials said the turnout topped 74 percent – a figure the opposition and independent observers said was inflated by an early voting process that may have been a source of election fraud. Matteo Mecacci, […]
Lukashenko Warns Opposition Not to March Against Parliamentary Vote
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko is warning the opposition not to march against Sunday’s parliamentary elections, which opponents call a sham. Mr. Lukashenko called the opposition “cowards” who have nothing to say to the people. He said the world should admire what he called the “boring” elections in Belarus that he said are carried out with […]
Belarus Holds Elections Boycotted by Opposition
Election officials in Belarus say a parliamentary election has reached the minimum required voter turnout of 50 percent. The country’s election commission says the threshold was reached late Sunday, in a vote opposition parties are calling a sham. The main opposition parties in Belarus boycotted the poll. President Alexander Lukashenko’s is widely expected to maintain […]
Belarus Holds Elections Boycotted by Opposition
Voters in Belarus are choosing a new parliament Sunday in elections the opposition is calling a sham. The vote is widely expected to maintain President Alexander Lukashenko’s grip on the country. Main opposition parties called for a boycott of the election. Mr. Lukashenko has ruled the former Soviet country for 18 years. Human rights bodies […]
Poland Protests Arrest of Journalist In Belarus
A reporter working for a Polish daily newspaper has been accused of defaming hardline Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko and has been arrested. Warsaw has demanded the “immediate release of Andrzej Poczobut”, a journalist for Poland’s leading liberal Gazeta Wyborcza daily, according to a Friday foreign ministry statement. Poland’s Foreign Ministry summoned the Belarus ambassador over […]
Poland Protests Arrest of Journalist In Belarus
A reporter working for a Polish daily newspaper has been accused of defaming hardline Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko and has been arrested. Warsaw has demanded the “immediate release of Andrzej Poczobut”, a journalist for Poland’s leading liberal Gazeta Wyborcza daily, according to a Friday foreign ministry statement. Poland’s Foreign Ministry summoned the Belarus ambassador over […]