DATE:
Friday, 20 January 2006
Belgium's Foreign Minister Karel De Gucht, currently Chairperson-in-Office of the OSCE, reacted positively to a letter by Belarus Foreign Minister Sergei Martinov, inviting the OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights to deploy an election observation mission for the presidential election on 19 March.
"I expect that the authorities of Belarus will ensure that all eligible candidates be permitted to register, and that the election process be conducted in a free and fair manner, including unimpeded access to the media by all candidates," said De Gucht.
Despite De Gucht's apparent optimism there are few signs that Belarus' presidential elections will be fair. Opposition candidates complain of a whole range of problems. These range from detaining supporters whilst collecting necessary signatures to a complete lack of access to (state) media.
On 6 January 2006, police confiscated 20,000 calendars with the portrait of the opposition candidate Aliaksandr Milinkevich from signatures collector Andrey Kara. The early forming of local electoral commissions on 28 December 2005, with very few opposition representatives, also does not bode well for transparent elections.
Additionally, a new law (No. 71-‡) that came into force on 1 January 2006 criminalizes activities of 'discrediting the state'. This has even led Radio Free Europe to temporarily withdraw its Internet broadcasting until the 'situation becomes clear'. Radio Free Europe fears its journalists in Belarus may face legal action.
Speaking yesterday, the European Commission's External Relations Spokesperson Emma Udwin noted that the tender procedure for EU broadcasting to Belarus should be completed this month. Udwin added that whilst the chosen broadcasting consortium would not have to be up and running by 19 March 2006, 'some election-related broadcasting is expected'.
Source:
http://euro-reporters.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=374&Itemid=1
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