The elections were manipulated in several ways. Only a few oppositionists and none of the opposition leaders were admitted as candidates for the parliament. In many districts there were single candidates without any alternative.
A new phenomenon was introduced, the so called ‘early voting', many employees and students were obligated by their employers and teachers to vote in the early voting.
The opposition candidates also had very little or no opportunity to get across their political programme to the voters by means of mass media.

Young Front called to boycot the voting and come to the demonstration by means of template grafiti

Zmitser Dashkevich, leader of ECPYN member organisation Young Front told us: "Elections started to remind of a travesty from the beginning. It is a play where one puppeteer has several marionettes".

ECPYN expresses its support to its friends of Young Front, Belarusan Christian Democracy, Young Revival and the Youth Christian Social Union and all the other democratic forces and to all the people that have been and still are demonstrating in the squares and streets of Minsk.

ECPYN calls on all its member organisations and affiliates to call on their respective governments to condemn this electoral farce in Belarus and to work in concert as Europeans to find ways to cooperate with the people of Belarus without legitimising the Lukashenka regime.