In recent weeks, we witnessed another presidential campaign where the entire state machine, all the administrative resources have been pursuing a single goal – to preserve the rule of the current Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko. The possibility for opposition candidates to stand for election against Lukashenko was merely a smokescreen to create a veneer of choice and democracy. Fears about the true intentions of the current regime in Belarus, unfortunately, came true on Election Day. The massive irregularities in vote counting, the impossibility of vote tallies, as well as the lack of adequate conditions for monitoring of the entire process all this highlights the undemocratic and non-transparent nature of the election.

The European Left Party regrets that the post-election rally in Minsk escalated into riots. At the same time, we condemn the harsh methods and the violent use of force by law enforcement bodies against supporters of the opposition and its leaders. We are concerned about mass arrests that swept the country.

We urge Europe, international organizations, including the Council of Europe, OSCE, CIS PA to immediately start a dialogue with the Belarusian authorities to release hundreds of people detained on political grounds during a protest rally in Minsk.

We believe that in this situation a portion of the blame should be shared by EU leaders, who in recent years led a controversial policy of flirtation with the authoritarian regime, attempting to use Belarus as a buffer country between the EU and Russia. The situation in Belarus is yet another failure of the EU Eastern Partnership policy.

The Party of the European Left calls upon the Belarusian authorities to ensure the proper functioning of democratic institutions in the country. We believe that the Belarusian people should have the right to free, fair and democratic elections.

EL Executive Board, Brussels, 15-16 January 2011