Held ‘in a climate of fear’ – USA condemns sham parliamentary and local elections in Belarus
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The United States condemns the sham parliamentary and local elections in Belarus, which were held "in a climate of fear" on Feb. 25, U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said.
“Impossible to hold free and fair elections in a climate of fear and with 1,400+ political prisoners,” Miller said.
"We support the democratic aspirations of the Belarusian people.”
Belarus held a vote on the parliamentary election, and local councils on Feb. 25. The so-called elections were held without the participation of international observers, as the OSCE previously announced, expressing "deep regret".
Read also: Lukashenko says he will participate in the upcoming Presidential "election" in Belarus
These are the first nationwide "elections" in Belarus since the beginning of mass political repression in 2020, European Pravda wrote.
Self-proclaimed Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko has said before that he plans to run in the upcoming Presidential election in Belarus, which is scheduled to take place in 2025.
Belarus held its sixth presidential election on Aug. 9, 2020. Massive election fraud caused protests and strikes to break out across the country, which were brutally suppressed by Belarusian security forces.
At least eight people were killed during the protests.
Lukashenko first became the president of Belarus in 1994.
Read also: The EU adds Belarusian child-abductors to the sanctions list
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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
