“The self-proclaimed president of Belarus, Oleksandr Lukashenko, refused to invite an OSCE mission to observe the presidential elections scheduled for January 26, which is a violation of the country’s international obligations.”, — write: www.pravda.com.ua
The self-proclaimed president of Belarus, Oleksandr Lukashenko, refused to invite an OSCE mission to observe the presidential elections scheduled for January 26, which is a violation of the country’s international obligations.
Source: OSCE press release
Details: In a joint statement of the Bureau of Democratic Institutions and Human Rights and the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, it is noted that the decision of the Belarusian authorities not to invite observers prevents an impartial and independent assessment of the election process.
“I deeply regret the decision of the Belarusian authorities not to invite the OSCE states through the ODIHR to observe the upcoming presidential elections, which deprives the citizens of the country of a transparent and complete assessment of the entire process,” said the director of the ODIHR Maria Telalyan.
It is noted that in recent months, ODIHR has been making efforts to interact with the Belarusian authorities regarding the invitation of observers. However, with election day less than three weeks away, ODIHR was unable to monitor key stages of the process.
“The Belarusian government has once again decided to ignore its commitment as a signatory to the Copenhagen Document of 1990 to invite observers from other OSCE participating States to its elections. This decision is deeply regrettable. The lack of cooperation on the part of Belarus further weakens the spirit of trust that underpins the OSCE , and the lack of transparency further undermines confidence in the electoral system of Belarus,” said the President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Pia Kauma.
This is the third time since the presidential elections in August 2020 that ODIHR has not been able to observe the elections in Belarus due to the lack of a timely invitation.
For reference: 70-year-old Oleksandr Lukashenko has ruled the country for 30 years. None of the presidential elections (2001, 2006, 2010, 2015, 2020), except for the first (1994), were recognized as free and fair at the international level.
Before the previous elections, a wave of rallies and protests in support of opposition candidates took place in Belarus.
Lukashenko said that he would not “play with the protesters like in kindergarten” and that “a dictatorship like the one in Belarus is better than a democracy like the one in Ukraine.”
Prehistory:
- The self-proclaimed president of Belarus, Oleksandr Lukashenko, after three decades of rule, said that he does not hold on to power and is ready to do everything to quietly and calmly hand it over to a new generation.
- The Central Election Commission of Belarus has scheduled the next presidential election for January 26, 2025.
- The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Kästutis Budris is convinced that there will be no fair and free elections in Belarus in the foreseeable future. Boudris said the move would be just an attempt by the Lukashenka regime to demonstrate to the world that it can punish anyone who opposes its will.
- The preliminary elections in Belarus on August 9, 2020 were marked by the most massive protests in the entire history of the country. Some of the detainees are still being held in Belarusian prisons.
- Many countries of the world did not recognize the results of the elections, where Lukashenko, according to the CEC, received the support of 80% of voters. In particular, the elections were not recognized in the EU. Ukraine also did not consider the “inauguration” of the self-proclaimed president of Belarus, Lukashenka, to be legitimate.