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PACE members demand new presidential election in Belarus

Twenty-one members of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) have called on the international organization's member states to demand a new presidential election in Belarus.

In a statement issued on January 25, the PACE members condemned the Belarusian government's crackdown on their opponents after December's presidential election and "all other signs of lack of respect for human rights by the Belarusian authorities."

All member states of the Council of Europe should condemn the post-election violence, refuse to recognize the official results of the election and demand a re-run of the poll, the statement said.

The statement also called for an entry ban targeting some Belarusian officials and "smart economic sanctions" against "the Belarusian regime and the Belarusian country as long as it does not respect human rights."

It refers to the 12 conditions that the European Union said Minsk should fulfill for better relations with the bloc.

Such sanctions should be effective and "least damaging" to ordinary people, according to the statement.

PACE is to hold a debate and vote on a resolution on the post-election situation in Belarus on January 27. //BelaPAN