EU says 'climate of intimidation' marred Belarus election
The European Union today said the presidential election in Belarus was marred by a “climate of intimidation”.
Austrian Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnik, whose country holds the EU’s rotating presidency, said the opposition in the former Soviet republic “was systematically intimidated” in campaigning for yesterday’s presidential elections in which President Alexander Lukashenko was declared the winner with an overwhelming majority.
Plassnik chaired a meeting of EU foreign ministers who “will discuss what policy consequences we will draw from the elections,” she said.
Czech Foreign Minister Cyril Svodboda said: “The elections were unfair and undemocratic. We support the opposition.”
He added that it was too soon to speak of economic sanctions.
In Minsk, opponents of Lukashenko faced a crucial test of strength today, planning a second protest against a vote the government said had handed the authoritarian incumbent a new five-year term by a massive margin.
Lukashenko has ruled Belarus with an iron fist since 1994. Election officials declared him the winner with 82.6 per cent of the vote, against only 6 per cent for Alexander Milinkevich, the main opposition candidate.
Plassnik said “the opposition was systematically intimidated” during the election campaign. “Preparations (for the vote) were conducted in a climate of intimidation, a climate of hindering” opponents of Lukashenko.
Speaking on Germany’s Deutschlandradio, EU Industry Commissioner Guenter Verheugen – who until last year was responsible for EU expansion issues – called Belarus “the last real dictatorship in Europe”.
“So long as that is the case, it cannot be a partner for the European Union,” he added. “No one will be fooled by this election result or by this whole election.”
