Belarusian opposition leader urges West not to recognise Belarus' so-called presidential elections

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, leader of the Belarusian opposition, has called on Western countries not to recognise the upcoming so-called presidential elections in Belarus.

According to Delfi, Tsikhanouskaya claimed during a meeting with Lithuanian Seimas Speaker Saulius Skvernelis that the events scheduled for late January in Belarus "have nothing to do with elections".

"In a country where all media outlets have been destroyed, all parties dissolved and political leaders are either in prison or exiled, fair elections are impossible," she said.

The opposition leader believes the process will be "fake, swift, staged" and nothing more than "a ritual for Lukashenko."

"Of course, we urge our democratic partners not to recognise these so-called elections. There is no need to explain this to Belarusians, as Lukashenko will not be legitimate in the people's eyes after this ritual," she added.

The so-called "presidential elections", during which Alexander Lukashenko is expected to declare another victory for himself, are set to take place in Belarus on 26 January 2025.

Following rigged elections in August 2020, Lukashenko violently suppressed widespread protests throughout Belarus. Since then, there has been no real opposition in the country, and independent media has been silenced. Opponents of the dictatorship, notably the opposition led by Tsikhanouskaya, are imprisoned or exiled.

Earlier, Tsikhanouskaya urged Belarusians not to participate in the "presidential elections" in January 2025 and to refrain from protesting to avoid repression.