European Parliament Criticizes Minsk Over Elections
STRASBOURG, France -- The European
Parliament has strongly criticized the recent parliamentary elections in
Belarus, noting they failed to meet many basic democratic standards.
In a resolution backed by the chamber's main political groups, lawmakers
on October 26 vowed not to recognize the results of the September 23
vote.
The resolution also noted with regret the decision to refuse entry visas to members of the European Parliament.
The text urges Belarusian authorities "to review their actions, improve
and upgrade the electoral legislation and conduct new, free and fair
parliamentary elections."
There is also an appeal to create fair conditions for all electoral
candidates and to ensure transparency during the vote counting process.
President Alyaksandr Lukashenka's allies won all the seats in parliament as most opposition parties boycotted the vote.
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