Putin Asserts West Prepared Belarus Election Response in Advance

Aug. 30, 2020 (EIRNS)—In an interview with Rossiya-1 TV which aired on Aug. 29, President Vladimir Putin remarked that Belarusian officials had invited representatives of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), and its Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) to monitor the Aug. 9 elections in Belarus, but no one came.

“Why didn’t they come? This immediately makes us think that, basically, the position on the results of this election has already been prepared,” he said.

As has been previously reported, Western countries and Belarus’ opposition have rejected Lukashenko’s reelection. The Belarusian government in Minsk has rejected claims of vote-rigging, and has ruled out a repeat election. Putin reiterated Russia’s position, saying “We believe this is, first and foremost, an internal matter of the Belarusian society and the people of Belarus.”

He commented that although Lukashenko had requested that a group of law enforcement officers be assembled by Russia to assist if necessary, and that Russia was always ready to help, based on the Treaty on creating the Union State between them and also in the framework of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, the Kremlin press service quoted him in the interview transcript. “But we have also agreed that this group would not be used unless the situation becomes uncontrollable,” he said.

TASS reports that Putin observed that although some people have doubted the legitimacy of the outcome of the elections, “there is nothing ideal in the world, nor in politics, nor in economy, nor in the social sphere.” “Even in nature nothing is ideal, even though it is the most perfect realm created by God,” he added. “I have all grounds to doubt the absolute honesty of the doubtful.”