Voting in Minsk on January 14 (Bymedia.net)
January 15, 2007 -- The European Commission says local elections in Belarus have failed to meet democratic standards.
EU External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner said there was "a blatant lack of democratic pluralism" in the elections on January 14, and that they had failed to give Belarusian voters a genuine choice.
Results from the elections to some 1,500 local councils are due later today.
Belarus's main opposition leader, Alyaksandr Milinkevich, said they were being held "under colossal pressure from the authorities" and would be falsified.
(AP)
RFE/RL Briefings
RFE/RL Briefings
BEYOND THE HEADLINES. RFE/RL regularly hosts briefings and discussions with leading experts on our broadcast region. In 2006, some of the crucials topics were gas wars, elections in Belarus and Ukraine, Iran's nuclear program, and unrest in Central Asia....(more)