Today at 01:09
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has officially declared that the so-called presidential “elections” in Belarus held on January 26, 2025, did not meet international standards. Therefore, there is no reason to recognize Alexander Lukashenko as the legitimate head of state.
This is stated in the resolution “Urgent need for free and fair elections in Belarus” adopted on January 30. It states that the elections did not meet minimum international standards of democratic expression and cannot be considered credible.
“The Assembly… considers that the so-called elections organized in Belarus on January 26, 2025, have no democratic credibility… There are no grounds for recognizing the legitimacy of Alexander Lukashenko as president,” the resolution says.
The document was adopted unanimously: all 79 PACE delegates voted in favor.
The Assembly called on the member states of the Council of Europe not to officially recognize Lukashenko as the elected president and to impose tougher sanctions against his regime and its supporters.
Instead, the PACE recommends increasing support for the democratic forces of Belarus led by Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, as well as simplifying entry and stay for Belarusian citizens who are forced to flee the regime.
The demands to the Belarusian authorities include an end to repressions against citizens, the release of all political prisoners, the organization of free and fair elections, the creation of conditions for a peaceful transfer of power, and the introduction of a moratorium on the death penalty and measures to abolish it.
The Central Election Commission of Belarus announced that Lukashenko had won almost 87% of the vote. However, the elections have already been recognized as illegitimate by the European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand.
