EU on course to lift Belarus sanctions despite vote concerns
The situation has not changed
Belarus’s election fell short of democratic standards, monitors said on 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, suggest Lukashenko could be seeking to improve his image abroad to rely less on his ally Russia, which is under Western sanctions due to the Ukraine conflict.
“It is clear that Belarus still has a long way to go towards fulfilling its democratic commitments,” said Kent Hasted, head of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s observer mission for the election, in a statement.
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Once a week, in coordination with a group of prominent Belarusian analysts, we provide analytical commentaries on the most topical and relevant issues, including the behind-the-scenes processes occurring in Belarus. These commentaries are available in Belarusian, Russian, and English.
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Situation in Belarus
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Tsikhanouskaya’s Cabinet: A Hundred Years of Emigration?
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Lukashenka takes lessons from Jack Sparrow on expropriation of businesses
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“The Godfather”: Lukashenko’s Deeply Echeloned System
March 11 – March 17
Elections 2025: Lukashenka Forever
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Elections 2024: The Ruling Class Consolidates Its Monopoly on Power
February 26 – March 3