European Union claims Belarus elections were fraudulent, threatens new sanctions.

The European Union on Sunday declared the elections in Belarus illegal and threatened new sanctions. Virtual voting took place in Belarus on Sunday, after which President Alexander Lukashenko (70) became almost certain to get another term. The people of the country believe that Lukashenko is a dictator.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos said in a joint statement that the elections in Belarus were fraudulent and were neither free nor fair.
The election was not fair - the EU
Kallas and Marta Kos said the continued and unprecedented suppression of human rights in Belarus, restrictions on political participation, and restrictions on access to independent media have called into question the legitimacy of the electoral process. They urged the Belarusian government to release political prisoners. The number of such prisoners is estimated to be more than 1,000 and includes an employee of the European Union Delegation.
Release of political prisoners
They called on the Belarusian government to release political prisoners. The number of such prisoners is estimated at more than 1,000, including an employee of the EU delegation in the Belarusian capital Minsk. Kaja Kallas and Marta Kos said that the decision to invite observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe only 10 days ago prevented the group from monitoring the entire electoral process.
Threat of new sanctions
EU officials said the EU would continue to apply restrictive and targeted measures against the Belarusian government due to the Belarusian regime's involvement in Russia's aggressive war against Ukraine and its hybrid attacks against its neighbors. They did not say who the new sanctions would be targeted at, or provide a timeframe.