Belarus – Q&A from the press briefing (10 Aug. 2020)

Q. What is your assessment of the presidential election held on Sunday in Belarus? The incumbent, Alexander Lukashenko, declared himself the winner with 80% of the vote while the opposition claimed to have won a “majority.”

A. We remind you of the statement by the foreign ministers of the Weimar Triangle (France-Germany-Poland) on August 7.We had already expressed our concern over voting conditions in the absence of monitors from the OSCE’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights and the parliamentary assemblies of the OSCE and Council of Europe.

The results must be made public in a way that is both complete and transparent.

We were also concerned by the violence perpetrated against Belarusian citizens who came out to protest after polling places were closed, and call for the utmost restraint.