<h6><strong>Eduardo González</strong></h6> <h4><strong>The Spanish government has said that the presidential elections in Belarus, held this Sunday and in which Alexander Lukashenko was re-elected with almost 90 percent of the votes, have not met “minimum democratic standards.”</strong></h4> “The Spanish government has closely followed the development of the presidential elections in Belarus on January 26 and notes that this process has not been in accordance with the minimum democratic standards, with serious restrictions on political participation and the work of independent media,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. “Spain fully supports the democratic aspirations of the Belarusian people and the democratic opposition, and demands the holding of free, inclusive elections with all guarantees, observed by an international mission of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE),” it continued. “At the same time, Spain demands an end to repression and full respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the right to opinion, demonstration and political participation, as well as the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners,” she concluded. According to the first results, Lukashenko has secured a seventh term until at least 2030. The EU High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, has declared that Lukashenko’s self-proclamation constitutes a “flagrant affront to democracy” and that the president has “no legitimacy”. The European Commission (EC) warned last Thursday that the presidential elections are “undemocratic” and a “farce”.
