BRUSSELS (Reuters) – President Alexander Lukashenko is not the valid president of Belarus, the European Union said Thursday, and said that his brutal oath wednesday is directly contrary to the will of the people.
The rite accelerated the EU’s plans to boycott Lukashenko after the disputed elections of 9 August, and the European Parliament has not recognized the veteran leader in the past since November, when his term as president was to end.
“The so-called ‘inauguration’ . . . and the new mandate claimed through Aleksander Lukashenko has no democratic legitimacy,” the 27 EU states said in a statement.
“This ‘inauguration’ contradicts the will of a giant component of the Belarusian population, expressed in many non-violent and unprecedented demonstrations since the elections, and only further aggravates the political crisis in Belarus. “
The EU, Belarus’s main monetary donor, also said it “re-examines relations” with the country, meaning the bloc will seek to cut direct investment in Lukashenko’s government, channeling it instead to aid teams and hospitals.
Before the elections, the EU pledged to spend EUR 135 million on projects in Belarus and committed to EUR 53 million to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
Opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya held talks in Brussels on Monday on how to pass state management to doctors and hospitals.
“I have asked Europe not to fund the plan. All the money Lukashenko can get now will not be used for the other Belarusians, but it will move on to those repressions,” he told reporters, referring to the repression of democracy.
(Report via Robin Emmott; edited through Tothrough Chopra, William Maclean)
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