Elena Semashko

Deputy Director of the National Centre for Legislation and Legal Research of the Republic of Belarus, Head of the Institute of Legal Research of the National Centre for Legislation and Legal Information of the Republic of Belarus, Chairperson of the Scientific and Expert Council at the CEC of the Republic of Belarus, Candidate of Legal Sciences, Associate Professor

The presidential elections in the Republic of Belarus, held on 26 January 2025, have once again become one of the most widely discussed topics, particularly in Western European media. Our elections were analyzed by European research centers and assessed by international intergovernmental organizations, and, unfortunately, they have become yet another reason for EU Member States and the UK to impose sanctions against certain Belarusian legal entities and individuals, to demonstrate unfriendly policies and to campaign for enforcement of discriminatory measures against Belarus.

Even before the elections, the European Parliament condemned the upcoming vote, labeling it as fraudulent and calling on the EU, its member states and the international community at large to not recognize the legitimacy of A. Lukashenko should he be re-elected President of the Republic of Belarus[1]. These statements were echoed by major European[2] and British media outlets[3] both before and after the elections, as well as in studies conducted by various analytical centers, including the East European Strategy Forum (EESF) [4], the Stockholm Centre for East European Studies (SCEEUS)[5] and the British analytical institute Chatham House, among others[6].

As a result, the EU and UK governments introduced new packages of sanctions against Belarus, specifically targeting members of the Central Election Commission (CEC)[7] [8].

Analysis of the available information regarding the accusations against the CEC and the reasons behind the EU, UK and other Western countries’ refusal to recognize the results of the latest presidential elections in the Republic of Belarus[9] reveals that all allegations are based solely on subjective, biased assessments. Moreover, they lack clear substantiation with reference to specific violations of Belarus’s international legal obligations.

To date, there is no unified international legal instrument regulating so-called electoral standards in international law. Provisions that in some way pertain to electoral rights are enshrined in a number of universal human rights treaties, including the 1966 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the 1965 International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, the 1979 Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women and others.

Additionally, there are regional electoral standards, which tend to be more specific. For instance, the 1990 Copenhagen Document of the Conference on the Human Dimension of the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe (CSCE) stipulates that among the essential elements of fairness required to fully uphold human dignity and equal rights are free elections that will be held at reasonable intervals by secret ballot or by equivalent free voting procedure, under conditions which ensure in practice the free expression of the opinion of the electors in the choice of their representatives (5.1). The Convention on Standards for Democratic Elections, Electoral Rights and Freedoms in the Member States of the Commonwealth of Independent States (hereinafter – CIS) of 2002 states that elections must be free (Art. 8), authentic (Art. 9) and fair (Art. 10).

Analysis of the preparation and conduct of all stages of the recent presidential election campaign in the Republic of Belarus demonstrates full compliance with established democratic standards. Out of 6,903,994 eligible voters, 5,916,195 took part in the elections, which demonstrates accessibility, transparency, openness and freedom of participation in the elections. The authenticity of the elections and, at the same time, the feasibility of the right to be elected are confirmed by the presence of five presidential candidates, each of whom has collected at least 100,000 signatures from voters in order to participate in the elections[10] (article 60 of the Electoral Code).

The transparency of the elections is confirmed by the number of observers accredited by the CEC – 486, including representatives of the CIS, SCO, CSTO, the Pan-African Parliament[11], etc.; journalists – 812, of whom 331 represented foreign media[12].

Despite political tensions with Western countries, Belarus invited the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR)[13] to observe the elections. However, the OSCE/ODIHR declined to participate, citing the late invitation (received just 10 days before election day) and stating that ‘the Republic would consequently lack an independent assessment’[14].

In contrast to the subjective position of Western countries on the fictitious nature and violation of international democratic standards of elections in the Republic of Belarus, observers representing various international organizations directly confirmed the absence of significant violations in organizing and conducting democratic elections, compliance of their legal framework with international standards, the effectiveness and legitimacy of efforts to ensure electoral sovereignty during the campaign.

The presidential elections in the Republic of Belarus were recognized as competitive, transparent, authentic, public, free and fair (for example, the conclusion of the group of international observers from the Interparliamentary Assembly of the CIS Member States at the election of the President of the Republic of Belarus on 26 January 2025[15]; information on the results of the work of the SCO Observer Mission[16]; Conclusions from CSTO Parliamentary Assembly observers at the election of the President of the Republic of Belarus[17]; statement by the Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces of the Parliament of the Republic of South Africa, Member of the Pan-African Parliament[18]).

Alexander Lukashenko received numerous personal congratulations on his electoral victory from heads of state and governments including those of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan, the People's Republic of China, Russia, Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, Vietnam, Nicaragua, Serbia, Myanmar, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Bahrain, Algeria, Mongolia, Sri Lanka, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Georgia and others[19].

In fact, all statements by the EU and its institutions condemning and refusing to recognize the results of Belarus' presidential elections are based on unverified claims that the voting process was non-transparent, falsified, failed to meet minimum electoral standards and undermined democratic principles. This situation raises serious questions about whether the European Union itself consistently adheres to the same norms and standards it demands from Belarus.

The Romanian presidential election in 2024 is illustrative in this context, where a candidate who openly supported enhanced cooperation with Russia and called for an end to military and other assistance to Ukraine was leading in the first round of voting [20]. On the pretext of violations committed during the election campaign, the Romanian Constitutional Court annulled the results of the voting. Russian experts note that the second round of the election was cancelled because European representatives feared that the US President-elect Donald Trump would have another supporter in the EU[21].

Thus, the EU's assessments of the elections in Belarus (which had not even taken place at the time the statements were made) cannot be taken into account, not only because they contradict reality and remain unsupported by factual evidence, but also because the accusing states themselves routinely violate fundamental human rights within their own jurisdictions.

The policy of the Western countries towards Belarus in relation to the 2025 presidential elections, in particular the implementation of sanctions against the representatives of the CEC, non-recognition policies, and widespread criticism demonstrate clear violations of three fundamental principles: justice, non-discrimination, and non-interference in sovereign states' internal affairs. Without any credible evidence or legal justification, such measures appear designed not to uphold democratic values, but rather to destabilize Belarusian society and undermine its unity. Furthermore, international legal experts are fully aware of the complete illegality of imposing sanctions against individuals, which constitutes a violation of the presumption of innocence principle and unlawfully shifts the burden of proof from the state onto private citizens.

[1] https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20250116IPR26328/parliament-denounces-the-upcoming-sham-presidential-election-in-belarus 22-01-2025

[2] https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/west-cries-foul-over-belarus-election-lukashenko-eyes-seventh-term-2025-01-26/

[3] https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp9x0mjzl4mo?ysclid=m8wprhi4ia569709527 ; https://www.bbc.com/russian/articles/cjde2p4n8vno?ysclid=m8wpoy40d3524025318

[4] https://www.eesf.info/post/presidential-elections-2025-in-belarus-violations-committed-by-the-authorities

[5] https://sceeus.se/en/publications/the-farce-of-the-2025-belarusian-elections-power-repression-and-the-struggle-for-legitimacy/#pll_switcher

[6] https://www.chathamhouse.org/2025/01/belarus-presidential-elections-2025-public-opinion-perceptions

[7] https://tass.ru/mezhdunarodnaya-panorama/22985711?utm_source=yxnews&utm_medium=desktop&utm_referrer=https://dzen.ru/news/by/instory/aac5cae0-1b01-5448-b987-dee5fc6351d6

[8] https://sputnik.by/20250117/mid-prokommentiroval-otkaz-bdipch-obse-priekhat-na-vybory-v-belarus-1092781861.html?ysclid=m8shqslimt35008195

[9] https://www.gov.uk/government/news/belarus-presidential-election-joint-statement-january-2025

[10] https://belta.by/society/view/karpenko-vybory-prezidenta-zavershili-bolshoj-tsikl-politicheskoj-modernizatsii-v-strane-694704-2025/

[11] https://belta.by/society/view/tsik-na-vyborah-prezidenta-belarusi-akkreditovano-486-mezhdunarodnyh-nabljudatelej-691273-2025/?ysclid=m8shl7992n68151873

[12] https://ont.by/news/krupnejshie-mirovye-media-osveshayut-vybory-prezidenta-belarusi?ysclid=m8wplrx7v924871676