The European Parliament has proposed not recognizing the upcoming presidential election in Belarus and imposing new sanctions on its leadership.
"In a resolution adopted on Wednesday, [members of the European Parliament] MEPs call on the EU to reject the upcoming presidential election in Belarus on January 26 as a sham," the European Parliament said in a statement on its website on Wednesday.
The European Parliament urged the EU, its member states, and the international community as a whole not to recognize Alexander Lukashenko's legitimacy as president based on the upcoming voting results. "Unlike in 2020, there are only pro forma 'candidates' to challenge him in this month's election," it said.
The Belarusian Foreign Ministry said earlier in the day that it possessed an EU statement prepared beforehand on refusing to recognize the presidential election in the country, which it referred to as the EU's blatant interference in the country's sovereign affairs.
The presidential election in Belarus is scheduled for January 26, 2025. The early voting will last from January 21 through 25.
Five people registered by the Central Elections Commission as presidential candidates are running for the post, including incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko, who has served in his current capacity since 1994 and is running for his seventh presidential term.
