EU foreign policy chief Borrell says Lukashenko ‘lacks democratic legitimacy’ as bloc set to tighten economic screw on Minsk
President Alexander Lukashenko is not the legitimate leader of Belarus, the EU’s top diplomat Josep Borrell has claimed. Brussels has said it will slap sanctions on Minsk after meeting to discuss the country’s political crisis.
The European Union intends to express “condemnation and rejection” of Lukashenko’s government, Borrell told reporters on Wednesday. He said the Belarusian leader “lacks democratic legitimacy,” following a contested presidential election in which official results claimed he won 80 percent of the vote. The country’s opposition claims that the outcome was fraudulent, and have called for new elections.
His remarks came before the European Council held a video conference to discuss the situation in Belarus, which has seen nearly two weeks of protests following the August 9 vote. EU Industry Commissioner Thierry Breton said before heading into the meeting that existing sanctions on Minsk would be “reinforced.”
Also on rt.com Weaponized media coverage & off-the-scale hypocrisy from the West on display as ‘regime change’ in Belarus is promotedEuropean Council President Charles Michel tweeted ahead of the emergency summit that “the leadership of Belarus must reflect the will of the people.” Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said after the video conference that EU leaders had agreed that Belarus should hold new elections.
Earlier on Wednesday, main opposition candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya called on the European Union to reject the result of Belarus’ presidential election, arguing that the country must head back to the polls under the supervision of international observers. She stressed, however, that the EU should respect the choice of the Belarusian people, as well as the country’s sovereignty.
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