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Opposition leaders urge West not to recognize Belarus’ legislative elections

Opposition leaders urged the West not to recognize the results of Belarus’ September 23-28 House of Representatives elections while speaking at a rally in downtown Minsk on Sunday evening.

“The authorities knew beforehand that voters’ preferences would have nothing to do with the final election returns,” said Syarhey Kalyakin, leader of the opposition Belarusian Party of Communists. “These elections should not be recognized as meeting the OSCE’s standards.”

Vintsuk Vyachorka, deputy chairman of the Belarusian Popular Front, stressed that given the absence of representatives of opposition forces on election commissions, one should not expect the counting of votes to be honest.

“The OSCE is facing a dilemma between retaining the reputation of an honest organization, which means non-recognition of the elections, and recognizing this farce,” he said.

Mr. Vyachorka stressed that the United Pro-democratic Forces (UPF), a major opposition coalition, would never recognize the elections even if some oppositionists got elected.

Anatol Lyabedzka, leader of the United Civic Party, said that the coalition had evidence, including photographs, that ballot boxes had been secretly unsealed and forged ballots were dropped into them.

“If Europe recognizes this election campaign, then there will be no presidential election in three years,” he said.

The UPF leaders also noted that people realized that the House of Representatives would have no powers.