EU rejects Belarus election results, warns new sanctions imminent

BRUSSELS — The EU rejects the result of the disputed Belarus election, saying President Alexander Lukashenko’s victory was neither free nor fair, and warns fresh sanctions against his government are imminent.

After an emergency video summit, EU Council President Charles Michel tells the people of Belarus the bloc stood “by your side” as unprecedented protests against strongman Lukashenko entered an 11th day.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel called for national dialogue in Belarus — including Lukashenko, who has ruled for 26 years — to find a peaceful way out of the crisis.

The EU has been working on a new round of sanctions against Belarus, targeting those involved in allegedly fixing the August 9 vote and in the bloody repression of protests, which have shaken Lukashenko’s grip on the ex-Soviet republic as never before.

Michel says this would lead “shortly” to “a substantial number of individuals responsible for violence, repression and election fraud” being hit with EU travel bans and asset freezes.

“These elections were neither free nor fair and did not meet international standards. We don’t recognize the results presented by the Belarus authorities,” Michel tells reporters.

“The people of Belarus deserve better. They deserve the democratic right to choose their leaders and shape the future.”

— AFP