Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya on Wednesday urged EU leaders to reject the results of the presidential election which sparked massive protests and saw strongman leader Alexander Lukashenko claim a sixth term.

"I call on you not to recognise these fraudulent elections," Tikhanovskaya said in a video addressed to the European Council, adding that "Lukashenko has lost all legitimacy in the eyes of our nation and the world."

Belarus's authoritarian leader, who has controlled the isolated ex-Soviet country for 26 years, claimed victory in the August 9 election that sparked historic protests and a brutal police crackdown condemned by Western countries.

Tikhanovskaya's appeal came ahead of an emergency video conference of European Union leaders on Wednesday to discuss the election fallout in Belarus.

Read more: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/08/19/belarus-opposition-leader-svetlana-tikhanovskaya-urges-eu-reject/


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