07/09/2020 Political Affairs and Democracy
Former Belarusian presidential candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya is to address PACE's Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy by videoconference on 8 September 2020 during an exchange of views on the situation in Belarus following the 9 August Presidential election.
Andrei Savinykh, Chairperson of the Standing Commission on International Affairs of the National Assembly of Belarus, will also participate, as well as PACE President Rik Daems, who recently called for “an all-inclusive national political process” in the country to ensure a peaceful and democratic transition.
Belarus applied to join the Council of Europe in 1993 but its parliament’s special guest status with the Assembly – regarded as the first step towards membership – was suspended in 1997. However since then the Assembly has continued to hold an ongoing dialogue with Belarusian authorities, parliamentarians and civil society, and frequently invites members of the National Assembly of Belarus, as well as members of the extra-parliamentary opposition, to attend meetings of its committees.
Two motions – or requests for reports by the Assembly – on the situation in Belarus have been submitted, on “Call for an inclusive national political process in Belarus”, initiated by Dame Cheryl Gillan (United Kingdom, EC/DA), Chairperson of the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy, and on “Urgent need for electoral reform in Belarus”, initiated by Lord Blencathra (United Kingdom, EC/DA), a member of the committee.
The exchange should be streamed live (in English, French, German, Italian and Russian) via the link below, subject to the committee’s approval that this part of the meeting is public, beginning between 10 and 10.15am CEST on Tuesday 8 September 2020.
