EU does not recognize Belarus election result: Merkel

BERLIN- Agence France Presse

The European Union does not recognize the outcome of the presidential election in Belarus, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Aug. 19, adding that the controversial vote was "neither free nor fair".

"For us.. there is no doubt that there were massive rule violations in the election," Merkel told reporters in Berlin after an emergency video summit with EU leaders. "The election was neither free nor fair. And that’s why the result of the election cannot be recognised."

She added: "We stand with the peaceful demonstrators.

Meanwhile, The EU will soon impose sanctions on a "substantial number" of people behind election rigging and violent suppression of protests in Belarus, EU Council chief Charles Michel said on Aug. 19. 

"We stand firmly behind the right of Belarusian people to determine their own fate, and the EU will impose shortly sanctions on a substantial number of individuals responsible for violence, repression and election fraud," Michel said after an emergency summit of EU leaders on the crisis in the ex-Soviet state.