MINSK (Reuters) – Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko dismissed Western criticism on Wednesday after his two main opponents were excluded from next month’s presidential election and police arrested more than 250 protesters.
Law enforcement officers detain a man outside the Belarusian electoral commission as people line up to file their complaints after the commission refused to register Viktor Babariko and Valery Tsepkalo as candidates for the upcoming presidential elections, in Minsk, Belarus, July 15, 2020. REUTERS / Vasily Fedosenko
The European Union delegation in Belarus said excluding the two rivals “undermines the overall integrity and democratic nature of the elections,” and Europe’s electoral watchdog expressed concern about “key aspects of the electoral process.”
Defending police handling of the protesters’ ban on the two challengers on Tuesday, Lukashenko said countries such as France and the United States had used greater force against protesters and accused the West of double standards.
“To criticize (President Donald) Trump, United States, for the lack of democracy. He tries to do it with Russia,” said Lukashenko, 65, during a meeting with supporters in the city of Vitebsk.
“We don’t want anyone to tell us how to live. We know how to do it ourselves. Solve your own problems first, and there are many of them, “state news agency Belta said, as quoted as saying.
Lukashenko, who has allowed little dissent in his 26-year-old government, is sure to win the August 9 elections, but public frustration is mounting over the economy, human rights, and his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The central electoral commission refused to register banker Viktor Babariko due to a criminal case against him and banned former ambassador Valery Tsepkalo after rejecting some of the signatures supporting his candidacy.
His exclusion sparked protests in the capital Minsk, and, according to social media reports, in other cities.
Police said more than 250 people had been detained, and rights group Vesna 96 calculated the total at 302. Police said six policemen had been injured and the state’s investigative committee launched a criminal case against organizers and protesters of protest.
The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s electoral watchdog, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), said it would not send monitors for the elections after not receiving a “timely invitation.”
Expressing concern that Belarus had not addressed previously identified problems in the electoral process, the ODIHR urged Minsk to take “concrete and immediate measures to protect the exercise of fundamental freedoms.”
Andrei Makhovsky Report, Pavel Polityuk Copy, Timothy Heritage Copy
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