The High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, denounced on Tuesday 14 July, the seemingly arbitrary exclusion of candidates in the 9 August presidential election in Belarus after the Central Electoral Commission rejected the registration of two candidates, Viktar Babaryka and Valery Tsapkala.
However, five other candidates, including the current President, Alexander Lukashenko, have had their candidacies validated.
This rejection “limits the possibility for the Belarusian people to express their will and already undermines the overall integrity and democratic nature of the elections”, the High Representative said in a statement (see EUROPE 12524/16). By denying the registration of these two candidates, the Belarusian authorities have failed to ensure a meaningful and competitive political contest, he added.
According to Borrell, the legal provisions for candidate registration pose disproportionate and unreasonable barriers to candidacy, contrary to OSCE commitments and other international standards. He also regretted the lack of transparency in the process of signature verification in support of presidential candidates.
The High Representative explained that the EU expects Belarus to respect the rights of its citizens to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly in the weeks leading up to the elections (see EUROPE 12498/29).
Mr Borrell also called on the country to extend an immediate formal invitation to the OSCE to observe the upcoming presidential election. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)