Belarus has strongly condemned what it calls “gross interference” by the European Union in its upcoming presidential election, which is scheduled for Sunday.
Anatoly Glaz, spokesman for the Belarusian Foreign Ministry, accused the EU of attempting to influence the country’s electoral process. Speaking to reporters in Minsk, he said the European Parliament’s resolution on the election, set to be debated and voted on later in the day, is an unwarranted intrusion into Belarus’s internal affairs.
“From the outset, it is clear that this draft resolution is a gross interference in the electoral processes of a sovereign state. It is disconnected from the reality and aims to pressure the free expression of the will of Belarusian citizens,” Glaz stated.
He also pointed out that the Belarusian Foreign Ministry had received a statement from the European External Action Service (EEAS), which was expected to be released after the election. Glaz rejected the claims made in the statement, which criticized the restrictions on independent media access to Belarus, calling them a threat to the legitimacy of the election.
“Before the elections even began, everything has already been condemned and deemed illegitimate,” Glaz said, adding that around 330 foreign journalists had been accredited to cover the event. He accused the EEAS of admitting its “impotence” in dealing with Belarus and described its statement as hypocritical, especially in light of the EU’s sanctions against ordinary Belarusian citizens.
The presidential election, set for January 26, will see incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko vying for a seventh term in office, competing against four other candidates. Early voting started on Tuesday.
