The U.S. Department of State welcomes the peaceful conduct of the September 11 parliamentary elections in Belarus. It recognizes some improvements in the electoral process although there are ‘serious problems’ in the election law.
Besides improvements in the electoral process , the USA notes that alternative voices will be represented in parliament for the first time in 12 years (a UCP member and a representative of the civil society have been elected MPs). The U.S. Department of State also notes the authorities’ willingness to register more opposition candidates than in past elections.
Nevertheless, the elections fell short of Belarus’ international obligations and commitments to free and fair elections, as detailed in the joint statement by OSCE/ODIHR, OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, and Council of Europe election observation missions. The following problems still exist: “lack of transparency in the counting and tabulation of votes; the non-pluralistic composition of election commissions; a media environment that did not allow voters to make informed decisions; and a lack of reform to Belarus’ restrictive legal framework governing elections”.
The U.S. Department of State has encouraged Belarus to undertake serious reform of its election law. It will reinforce Belarusian sovereignty and independence and will pave the way to improved bilateral ties, the USA stressed.
