EU to impose sanctions on Belarusian officials for election fraud, calls for a new vote

Lukashenko, who has been in power since 1994, claimed a landslide victory in the August 9 presidential election after official results gave him his sixth term in office with 80% of the vote. The authoritarian leader has denied allegations of electoral fraud.

Opposition protesters have taken to the streets as anger grows over reports of police violence and allegations of vote-rigging.

Authorities have sought to stamp out the ongoing mass protests by using clubs, rubber bullets and stun grenades. Thousands of arrests have been made and at least two demonstrators have been killed.

Human Rights Watch, which noted most of the protests had been peaceful, described the police round-ups as “systemically brutal.”

Large state-owned factories, a traditional support base for Lukashenko, have gone on strike in solidarity with the demonstrators, and Belarusian authorities have reportedly acknowledged that some police officials have since quit their posts. 

Lukashenko ordered the police to stop unrest in the country’s capital city of Minsk on Wednesday, according to the official Belta news agency, following more than a week-and-a-half of demonstrations against his leadership.

“People are tired. People demand peace and quiet,” Lukashenko was quoted as saying, insisting there should “no longer be any disorder in Minsk of any kind.”

Article source: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/08/19/belarus-eu-pushes-for-new-elections-says-no-external-intervention.html