Belarus parliament elections

MINSK, 19 September (BelTA) – Chairwoman of the Central Election Commission (CEC) of Belarus Lidia Yermoshina met with Cayetana de Zulueta Owtram, head of the OSCE ODIHR mission sent to observe the elections to the lower chamber of the Belarusian parliament, BelTA has learned.

The meeting was prompted by the conclusion of the work of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights mission in Belarus.

Earlier Lidia Yermoshina described the OSCE ODIHR’s preliminary report on the Belarusian parliament elections as quite balanced. The head of the election organization agency admitted that the Central Election Commission of Belarus did not agree with some proposals. Lidia Yermoshina noted that if the OSCE ODIHR’s final report contained proposals designed to improve the vote count procedure, such proposals would get attention and might be taken on board if feasible.

Speaking about possible liberalization of Belarusian election laws in the future, Lidia Yermoshina noted that the Central Election Commission already had a number of proposals that would be systematized after the OSCE ODIHR delivered the final report on the Belarusian parliament elections. In her words, as sources of legislative initiative the president of the country and the parliament will decide independently whether foreign experts are needed to adjust Belarusian election laws.

BelTA reported earlier that the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights will publish the final report on the latest Belarusian parliament elections in eight weeks after the election process is over. The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly will present its report during the session of the Permanent Committee in Skopje, Macedonia on 1 October. The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe will present its report in Strasbourg, France on 10 October.

Elections to the lower chamber of the Belarusian parliament took place on 11 September, with members of the parliament elected in all the 110 constituencies.