Exiled opposition figurehead Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya on Monday dismissed as fraudulent a presidential election that saw Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko declared the winner.
Western observers say Sunday’s vote was neither free nor fair, with independent media in the former Soviet state banned and prominent opposition figures imprisoned or forced into exile.
What the opposition said
Tsikhanouskaya, who is regarded by many in the West as the real winner of the election in 2020, thanked demonstrators for turning out in opposition to Lukashenko as the polling took place.
“To all the Belarusians who stood together yesterday against the regime’s fake elections—in Warsaw, Vilnius, Berlin, Kyiv and so many other cities — I cannot thank you enough.”
“Your courage and solidarity are a powerful reminder that Belarusians will never stop fighting for freedom, democracy and a European future.”
Tsikhanouskaya stood for the office after her husband, activist Siarhei Tsikhanouski, tried to run in 2020 but was jailed. He remains imprisoned while she is now based in Lithuania.
How the West has reacted
“The people of Belarus had no choice,” German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock wrote on Sunday as polling drew to a close. “It is a bitter day for all those who long for freedom and democracy.”
In a scathing response to the preliminary results, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski expressed mock surprise that “only” about 87% of voters appeared to have backed Lukashenko.
“Will the rest fit inside the prisons?” he posted on X.
Lukashenko, who has been in power in Belarus since 1994, was said to have clinched 86.8% of the vote on Sunday to secure a seventh term in office.
Russia and China celebrate win
The Kremlin said it celebrated the victory of its ally Lukashenko, who allowed Belarus to be used as a staging point for the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
“Your convincing victory in the elections clearly testifies to your high political authority and to the undoubted support of the population for the state policy Belarus is pursuing,” the Kremlin cited Russian President Vladimir Putin as saying.
Meanwhile, Beijing’s state media said that Chinese President Xi Jinping had also congratulated Lukashenko.
“Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory message to Lukashenko on his re-election as President of Belarus,” the Xinhua state news agency said.
rc/rmt (Reuters, AFP)
