English

Sannikaw calls on Lukashenka to admit to election fraud, hold second round

Former candidate Andrey Sannikaw, sentenced to five years in prison on May 14 in connection with a post-election protest, has called on Alyaksandr Lukashenka to admit that he did not receive in the December 2010 presidential poll the 50 percent of the vote needed to win in the first round, BelaPAN said.

The authorities should hold the second round under international supervision, Mr. Sannikaw says in a statement posted by the news site charter97.org on Monday.

“If Lukashenka is capable of taking a realistic approach and really believes that he enjoys support among the people, the presidential election should be brought to an end to restore the rule of law in the country and avert a looming catastrophe,” Mr. Sannikaw says.

“Unfortunately, the worst scenarios of Belarus’ situation after the election have come true,” Mr. Sannikaw notes. “Lukashenka’s determination to remain in power will bring a catastrophe to our country. The inability of the current regime to rule Belarus has been apparent for a long time, and today it manifests itself in every possible pernicious consequence. Belarus will not survive a further boom in its ‘stability.”

“As a candidate in the 2010 presidential election, I do not recognize its results and believe that they were rigged,” Mr. Sannikaw says.

He adds that he continues to be a presidential candidate and, as a candidate, demands the second round.