Unfair presidential elections in Belarus
Written question
No.
592 to the Committee of Ministers
| Doc. 12457
| 04 January 2011
The presidential elections in Belarus
on 19 December 2010 were unfair and many irregularities took place according
to the OSCE observer mission: the incumbent president had 90% of
air-time on national television, the central electoral commission
lacks impartiality and there is a lack of safeguards to ensure the
integrity of early voting and the vote count.
Since gaining independence in 1994 no free and fair elections
have been held in Belarus and the current regime has shown that
it does not intend to ever hold any. The day after the elections
several candidates were imprisoned. Journalists were also harassed
and imprisoned as well as human rights activists.
Mr Omtzigt,
To ask the Committee of Ministers:
- Does the Committee of Ministers agree that the imprisoned
candidates are political prisoners or does it trust the impartiality
of the Belarus judicial system?
- Will the Committee of Ministers discuss and implement
a visa ban on Belarus officials as long as presidential candidates
are in prison?
- Will the Committee of Ministers release an official statement
expressing its disapproval of the current political situation in
Belarus?
- Will the Council of Europe now formally make contact with
the opposition as legitimate representatives of the Belarus people?
- Can the Committee of Ministers answer these questions
before the opening of the Parliamentary Assembly’s first part-session
of 2011?
