The West Has Defined Its Position on the Presidential “Pseudo-Elections”

Despite signals from Lukashenka regime about a desire to partially normalize relations, the West intends to take a firm stance on not recognizing the results of the presidential elections in Belarus. Furthermore, there is a high likelihood that the West’s position will include additional points of contention, such as calls to use mechanisms of the International Criminal Court (ICC).

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that the 2025 presidential elections in Belarus cannot be considered free and fair. The reason for this is the systematic suppression of the opposition by Lukashenka regime, including media censorship, the absence of independent observers, and the persecution of political activists. Collectively, these restrictions make free expression of the people’s will impossible. The lack of a timely invitation for the OSCE to observe the elections demonstrates Minsk’s disregard for principles of transparency and its international obligations. This once again underscores the illegitimacy of the upcoming vote and Lukashenka’s determination to cling to power by any means, including falsifications and repression.

The United States expressed solidarity with the Belarusian civil society and political prisoners. America condemned the repression by Lukashenka regime, emphasizing that the suppression of the opposition reflects weakness, not strength, of the ruling class. The United States continues to support the Belarusian people’s aspirations for democracy and freedom.

The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) declined Belarus’ invitation to observe the presidential elections, stating that the late invitation (10 days before the elections) does not allow for a comprehensive assessment of the electoral process. The ODIHR decision followed a statement by the Belarusian Foreign Ministry about inviting observers and a subsequent appeal from Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s office urging the rejection of the limited and belated invitation.

The European Parliament also plans to adopt a special resolution regarding the 2025 elections. The resolution is expected to condemn the falsification of elections in Belarus, call for the use of ICC mechanisms to hold Lukashenka accountable, and urge EU member states to support an investigation into the situation in Belarus by the ICC.

Similar resolutions are planned to be adopted by the Polish Senate on January 23–24 and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) on January 27–31.

The regime clearly did not anticipate such a response despite the signals Minsk has sent to the West, including the release of new groups of political prisoners, promises of transit guarantees, strengthening sovereignty, refraining from entering the war against Ukraine, generational changes in Belarusian politics, and attempts to establish dialogue with opponents.