Belarus parliament elections

MINSK, 12 September (BelTA) – Progress has been secured in a number of aspects in the organization of elections in Belarus. The statement was made by Vice-President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and OSCE special coordinator for the parliamentary elections in Belarus Kent Harstedt on 12 September, BelTA has learned.

Kent Harstedt said: “As part of our observation we have found out that there is progress in some cases. The situation remains unchanged in other areas.” In particular, in his opinion, it is necessary to improve the registration of voters during voting at polling stations and appoint more representatives of the opposition to election commissions.

“Nevertheless, it is important to mention positive aspects, too. Out of 630 candidates as many as 488 ones took part in the elections, including a large number of candidates representing the opposition. It is good that there is certain competition during elections in the country,” pointed out Kent Harstedt. “It is quite possible that some of the candidates ran for parliamentary seats in order to popularize their political parties or create a brand of their own.”

“We would like to mention many positive things we have noticed and are ready to continue working to address the detected shortcomings,” concluded the OSCE representative.