OSCE denounces Minsk’s decision not to invite its observers

January 9, Pozirk. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) has denounced the Belarusian government’s decision not to invite OSCE observers for the February 25 parliamentary election.

“The Belarusian government’s decision to shirk its obligation . . . goes against the best interest of the Belarusian people,” said OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Pia Kauma. 

The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) began engaging in consultations with Belarus in October 2023 to reach an agreement on the deployment of a pre-election needs assessment mission, an initial and crucial step in determining whether to deploy an election observation and in what format, the statement says.

Following the 2020 presidential election, the parliamentary election will be the second time that ODIHR is unable to observe elections in Belarus due to the lack of a timely invitation from the national authorities.

While ODIHR will not be able to observe the forthcoming parliamentary election, it continues to watch the unfolding events in Belarus from all the areas covered by its mandate. All OSCE states have committed to inviting observers from other OSCE participating states and the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly to observe, as well as following up swiftly on ODIHR’s election assessment and recommendations.