EU Parliament To Consider Belarus Resolution :: Charter'97 :: News

The European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, is expected today to consider a resolution on Belarus following the rejection by the European Union of the country`s March 19 presidential election as rigged.

EU leaders next week are expected to consider restrictive measures against authorities responsible for election violations, including President Alyaksandr Lukashenka, who claimed a third term in office with an official tally of 83 percent of the vote.

Speaking on April 5 in Berlin, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov defended the vote as free and fair.

"I believe that the results of the will of the people in Belarus, just like the results of the will of the people in Ukraine during the recent elections there, have to be taken as the main point of reference for the development of relations with those sovereign states, based on noninterference and mutual respect," Lavrov said.

The Belarusian Supreme Court rejected an opposition appeal for the election to be declared invalid due to electoral fraud.