
Statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic on the So-called Presidential Elections in Belarus
26.01.2025 / 21:00 | Aktualizováno: 26.01.2025 / 21:59
On 26 January 2025 the so-called presidential elections were held in Belarus. They took place in an atmosphere of long-standing repression, systematic violations of the human rights of the citizens of Belarus, complete suppression of the participation of opposition forces and restrictions on free access to information. The voices of Belarusians abroad were completely ignored.
Election Observation Mission of the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR) was invited by Belarus only 10 days before the so-called elections, making its participation practically impossible.
The sole purpose of the preparation, timing and conduct of the so-called elections was to confirm the legitimacy of Alexander Lukashenko. The so-called elections did not meet the basic parameters of democratic electoral processes and therefore, as in 2020, cannot be considered legitimate.
The constitutional right of Belarusian citizens to choose their representatives can only be fulfilled through free, fair and transparent elections. A pluralistic political environment without fear of persecution or arrest, freedom of speech, freedom of the media and freedom of assembly are essential prerequisites. Belarus today lacks all of these conditions.
Czechia Republic will continue to support the efforts of Belarusian democratic forces, civil society and independent media to achieve a free and independent Belarus with a European perspective. In this context, the Czech Republic recalls on the Belarusian regime to immediately and unconditionally release and rehabilitate all Belarusian political prisoners.