Elections to the House of Representatives were not free and fair – statement by Rada BNR
Statement by the Rada of the Belarusian Democratic Republic
On the Elections to the Chamber of Representatives
of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus
on 11 September 2016
The Rada of the Belarusian Democratic Republic,
Having considered numerous violations of democratic standards, such as the following:
– instances of disqualification of some opposition candidates, as well as the pressure exerted against others,
– lack of reasonable conditions for opposition candidates to conduct satisfactory electoral campaigns,
– effective lack of representation by the opposition in electoral commissions at all levels,
– complete lack of transparency during the vote-count, especially of votes cast in early voting,
– instances of pressure exerted on the voters, among them, forcing them to vote early ,
– instances of pressure on voting observers, including their removal from polling stations without justification,
– instances of rigging the voting procedure, such as multiple votes, and other violations,
Taking into account the failure by official authorities of the Republic of Belarus to comply with OSCE recommendations on improving of the election process in Belarus,
- States that the elections to the Chamber of Representatives of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus were neither fair nor free, and that the resulting body cannot be regarded as a lawfully and democratically elected parliament of Belarus;
- Draws attention to the fact that the elections were conducted with substantial violations of the electoral legislation of the Republic of Belarus currently in force, including its Constitution; as well as with violations of international accords signed by the Republic of Belarus;
- Calls on the international community, including the European Union and the Council of Europe, to limit their contacts with the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus to technical issues only, thus excluding a possibility that said body would be officially recognized as a parliament of the Republic of Belarus, either formally or in practice;
- Calls on the international community to apply pressure on the official authorities of Belarus with a view of bringing about democratization of Belarus’s political system and guaranteeing the protection of human rights that are called for in the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus;
- Calls on the official authorities of the Republic of Belarus to release political prisoners, including Eduard Palčys, Michail Žamčužny, Uładzimir Kondruś to bring the political system of Belarus in line with international democratic standards, and to conduct free and transparent elections at all levels.
September 13, 2016
