Belarus’ election fell short of democratic standards, monitors said Monday after President Alexander Lukashenko won a fifth term, but Europe still looked set to ease sanctions as France and Germany welcomed a lack of political repression.
Moves by Lukashenko, including the pardoning of six opposition figures before the election, suggested he could be seeking to improve his image abroad to be able to rely less on Russia, a Belarus ally that is under Western sanctions because of the Ukraine conflict.
“It is clear that Belarus still has a long way to go towards fulfilling its democratic commitments,” Kent Hasted, head of the …read more
Source: Voice of America
