France, Germany and Poland have expressed concern over the political situation in Belarus ahead of the presidential election and urged the local officials to ensure that the vote will be held fairly
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 07th August, 2020) France, Germany and Poland have expressed concern over the political situation in Belarus ahead of the presidential election and urged the local officials to ensure that the vote will be held fairly.
"We, the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of France, Germany and Poland, observe the ongoing developments in Belarus with great concern. On the eve of the presidential elections, we firmly stand by the right of the Belarusian people to exercise their fundamental freedoms, including electoral rights, and support the independence and sovereignty of the Republic of Belarus," the joint statement read.
Paris, Berlin and Warsaw also urged the local authorities to ensure "independent monitoring [of the elections] by local observers," as no international observers would be present at polling stations due to not being invited.
The foreign ministers of France, Germany and Poland also called on Belarus' authorities to free all those detained "on political grounds."
Early voting in the Belarusian presidential election began earlier this week. Four opposition candidates are competing against incumbent Alexander Lukashenko, and polling stations are scheduled to close on Sunday.
The turnout throughout the first three days of early voting has been registered at 22.47 percent, the Belarusian Central Election Commission said on Friday.
