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Belarus Leader Criticizes West After Protests Over Election Bans

Reuters

   MINSK - Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko dismissed Western
   criticism on Wednesday after his two main challengers were barred from
   next month's presidential election and police detained over 250
   protesters.

   The European Union delegation to Belarus said excluding the two rivals
   "undermines the overall integrity and democratic nature of the
   elections," and Europe's election watchdog expressed concern about "key
   aspects of the electoral process."

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