Minsk says OSCE document on elections not applicable in Belarus

2004-07-10

"The statement is not an official document of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly. It is in fact a statement from several Assembly deputies who are members of the Working Group on Belarus and a group of Belarussian parliamentarians," Yesin said.

The joint statement signed by head of the Assembly's Working Group on Belarus Uta Zapf and head of the Belarussian delegation Mikhail Orda says that they intend to aid the process of bringing the upcoming parliamentary elections in line with OSCE standards.

The statement expresses hope that the Belarussian Central Elections Commission and the Belarussian authorities will observe the OSCE's recommendations.

The OSCE's election standards include equal access to media for all candidates, balanced coverage of the election campaign by state media, ensuring that all parties are represented in elections commissions at all levels and allowing all candidates to freely conduct their election campaign, it says.

The statement also welcomes the presence of international observers, including OSCE observers, and expresses intent to strengthen cooperation between the Belarussian delegation at the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and the Assembly's Working Group on Belarus.