France Refuses To Recognize Lukashenko As Belarusian President - Macron

PARIS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 28th September, 2020) France does not recognize Alexander Lukashenko's re-election as the Belarusian president, French leader Emmanuel Macron said on Monday.

"We do not recognize the election of Lukashenko, therefore we do not recognize his status as an elected president," Macron, who is currently visiting Lithuania, said at a press conference in Vilnius.

On August 9, Belarus held the presidential election. According to the Belarusian Central Election Commission, Lukashenko secured his sixth term with over 80 percent of the vote. The country's opposition, which consolidated around presidential candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, has challenged the election results, accusing the authorities of massive falsifications during the voting.

To challenge the results of the vote, the Belarusian opposition has been staging rallies across the country. Opposition figures also accuse the security forces of resorting to excessive violence during the protests.

Lukashenko has repeatedly stressed that from his point of view the protests are directed from Poland, Ukraine, Lithuania and the Czech Republic. Moscow has said that the refusal of European countries to recognize Lukashenko as the president of Belarus was against international law.