Parliamentary election in Belarus neither free nor fair

“It is deeply regrettable that the parliamentary election in Belarus on 23 September failed to live up to international democratic standards,” said Minister of Foreign Affairs Espen Barth Eide.

According to the findings of the international observer mission, the parliamentary election held in Belarus on 23 September did not meet international standards for free and democratic elections. While some opposition parties boycotted the election in protest against conditions in the country, other opposition candidates were denied the opportunity to stand. 

“There was no real election campaign in the country and the outcome of the election seems to have been largely decided before polling day. Unfortunately, because of the parliament’s lack of political influence, interest in the election among the population appears to have been low,” said Mr Eide.

Norway provides substantial funding to support democracy building in Belarus. Norway provided six election observers (two long-term and four short-term observers), as well as a representative from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Parliamentary Assembly.

“It is encouraging that the OSCE was invited to observe the election and that the observers were able to carry out their duties in the weeks leading up to the election. However, there is every indication that the new parliament will not contain a single opposition politician, which is very regrettable,” said Mr Eide.

The observers pointed to a lack of transparency surrounding the registration process and reported that many candidates were excluded from the election because of minor technicalities. One of the many opposition politicians affected was Aliaksandr Milinkevich.  Moreover, six students and staff members from the European Humanities University, the Belarusian university in exile, are reported to have been detained by the Belarusian police today. According to the EHU, they had been participating in the election observation and had been discussing their findings when they were detained.

“We would like to welcome Belarus as an equal partner in Europe, but for that to happen Belarus must comply with its international obligations to respect human rights and democracy.  At present, Belarus falls far short of its obligations, which deeply concerns me. We demand the immediate release and rehabilitation of all political prisoners in Belarus. We will continue to support civil society and democratic forces in the country,” said Mr Eide.