DATE:
20/01/2006
BRUSSELS, Jan. 20 (UPI) -- The government of Belarus has invited international organizations to monitor national elections slated for March 19.
The foreign ministry said it had asked the Organization for Security Cooperation in Europe, the Commonwealth of Independent States and other international bodies to check whether the poll meets democratic standards.
"Belarussian authorities have done their best to hold the elections in accordance with national laws and international standards," said foreign ministry spokesman Andrei Popov, according to the Russian Interfax news agency. "Belarus hopes that international observers will abstain from interfering in the electoral process, and their conclusions and assessments will be objective and non-politicized."
OSCE Chairman-in-Office Karel De Gucht, the foreign minister of Belgium, welcomed the move and invited the organization's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights to deploy an election observation mission for the presidential election.
"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," he said.
So far, there has been little evidence that President Alexander Lukasheno, dubbed 'Europe's last dictator,' will abide by these rules. In recent months, opposition offices have been raided and candidates prevented from appearing on state television. The communist government has also introduced a law making it a criminal offense to discredit the state.
Source:
http://www.upi.com/SecurityTerrorism/view.php?StoryID=20060120-044711-9777r
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