Hungarian representatives have blocked a joint statement by European Union countries to reject the presidential election in Belarus, according to information from RFE/RL sources in Brussels.
Lacking the signatures of representatives from all 27 EU countries, EU foreign policy chief Kaia Kallas issued her own statement, saying that the January 26 vote was not free and fair and calling on the Belarusian authorities to release all political prisoners.
The regime’s decision to invite independent election monitors from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) just 10 days before the elections prevented them from gaining access to key stages of the electoral process, Kallas said.
“This is further evidence of the complete lack of trust in these elections,” she said.
Kallas added that for these reasons and in light of the Belarusian regime’s involvement in Russia’s war against Ukraine and its hybrid attacks on its neighbors, “the EU will continue to impose restrictions and sanctions against the regime and provide financial support to civil society, Belarusian democratic forces in exile, and Belarusian culture.”
The European Union stands ready to support the country in stabilizing its economy and reforming its institutions once Belarus begins its democratic transition, Kallas said.
Hungary last week refused to sign a draft statement referring to the "undemocratic presidential elections" in Belarus on behalf of the 27 EU countries. But it was not alone in its opposition to the draft. Slovakia also refused to sign it.
The text, a copy of which was obtained by RFE/RL, said the "relentless and unprecedented level of repression” combined with human rights violations and restrictions on the opposition and access to independent media in Belarus “have deprived the electoral process of any legitimacy."
Representatives of Slovakia later agreed to sign the statement, but Hungarian authorities continued to refuse to sign it.
Hungary, led by Prime Minister Viktor Orban, has repeatedly opposed the expansion of sanctions against Russia and increased European aid to Ukraine.
