Presidential election 2015 in Belarus
OSCE PA observers satisfied with election monitoring conditions in Belarus
GOMEL, 23 September (BelTA) – The creation of the necessary conditions for local and international observers is an important part of the general assessment of the transparency of the election campaign, Kent Harstedt, the Vice President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE PA), the head of the short-term OSCE PA observation mission, said as he met with members of the Gomel Oblast Election Commission in Gomel on 23 September, BelTA has learned.
Kent Harstedt pointed out that election observers should carry out their work in compliance with the law and the established rules. They have no right to interfere in the voting or tallying process. Yet, there are some nuances. For example, what is the procedure for visual monitoring of vote counting? Chairpersons of the election commissions are entitled to determine how far from the counting table the observers can stand. However, the distance should be short enough for the observers to be able to monitor the process.
Members of the Gomel Oblast Election Commission informed Kent Harstedt on the results of the main stages of the election campaign in Belarus and told him about the principles of forming election commissions in Gomel Oblast. Chairman of the Gomel Oblast Election Commission Nikolai Stosh noted that no violations of the electoral law have been detected in the region. All the complaints were promptly addressed.
At present, members of the Gomel Oblast Election Commission are taking part in training sessions simulating different kinds of situations that may occur during the election campaign. Nikolai Stosh assured Kent Harstedt that the issue related to the location of observers during the process of vote counting will be thoroughly discussed.
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