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Opinion: International Observers About Presidential Election in Belarus
Today, on March 19, 2006 Belarus has held presidential election.
According
to the official site of the Central Election Commission
http://www.rec.gov.by, the turnout reached 92.6 percent. In Brest oblast
the turnout made up 93 percent, Vitebsk – 95 percent, Gomel oblast – 95.6
percent, Grodno – 93.8 percent, Minsk – 92.6 percent, Mogilev – 95.3 percent
and in the city of Minsk – 85.1 percent.
In line
with the electoral laws of Belarus, the elections are recognized as valid if
the turnout makes more than a half of the people entitled to vote.
At 8 p.m.
(Minsk time) all polling stations closed in Belarus; counting of votes
started. On the whole, some 6,585 polling
stations worked in the country.
We remind that four politicians took part in the election campaign. The one,
who gets more than 50 percent of the votes, will win the race.
Both the domestic and international observers reported no serious violations
during the voting, Secretary of the Central Election Commission /CEC/
Nikolai Lozovik told a briefing today.
The election has been observed quite closely by both the international and
domestic experts, he informed. A total of 32,996 domestic and 1,235
international observers have been registered in Belarus.
On average there 4-5 observers per polling station.
Here are some opinions of
international observers about the presidential election in Belarus:
Observer
from Turkey: Belarusian Election System Has No Big Differences from Western
Analogues
The election system in Belarus has no significant differences from the
election systems of the Western powers, international observer from Turkey,
member of parliament, chief councilor at the association of small and
middle-sized businessmen Tahir Kose said.
He visited 20 polling stations in Minsk and Gomel. “Everything is organized
at a good level. I found nothing to criticize. People are eager
to
go to the
polls”.
Tahir Kose noted that he had talked to the OSCE observers who had also
failed to reveal any serious violations during the election campaign.
“The mood of the Belarusians at the election is much more important than
impressions of people who have come here”, the international observer
believes.
“Turkey treats Belarus with sympathy, we are friends and partners in trade
and economic cooperation”, Mr. Kose said.
Kyrgyz
Observer: Elections in Belarus are Free and Democratic
The presidential elections in Belarus are free and democratic, member of the
central election commission of Kyrgyzstan Zhenishbek Akmatov told today.
According to him, members of the central election commission of Kyrgyzstan
visited several polling stations in the Shklov region and can speak about
the situation in one of the biggest regions of Mogilev oblast. People
fulfilled their civil duty voluntarily and free at all polling stations in
Shklov and villages of the region, which they visited, the observer noted.
“We did not register any violations of the election legislation. We spoke to
domestic observers and they did not lay any claims concerning the voting
processes”, Zhenishbek Akmatov said.
Moldavian Observer: Pressure from Abroad Fails to Influence Belarusians’
Choice
Pressure from abroad will fail to influence the choice of the Belarusians,
international observer from Moldova, director of the strategic analysis and
forecasting center Sergei Nazarija said.
“I do not think pressure on any country, be it Moldova or Belarus, can
radically shift the opinion of the electorate. Whatever it will be, I think
the entire world should accept the choice of the Belarusians. We should
respect it”, he said.
According to the observer, the election in Belarus is taking place in “the
legal framework and in line with the Belarusian legislation”. The observer
from Moldova pointed to no serious flaws in the election process. “The vote
is undergoing in an appropriate atmosphere without any pressure on the
electorate”, Sergei Nazarija said.
According to him, since March 14 when Sergei Nazarija arrived in Belarus,
“there has been no straightforward campaigning for anyone of the Belarusian
candidates on the TV”. The opponents had an opportunity to state their point
of view and criticize the active head of state in the press.
Chinese
Observers Note Democratic Character of Election Campaign in Belarus
International observers from the People’s Republic of China took note of a
democratic character of the election campaign in Belarus, ambassador of the
Chinese foreign ministry Zhao Sidi told today.
He said “Minsk residents come to election centers and quietly vote for
chosen candidates”. The Chinese guest noted that the international observers
are freely admitted to polling stations and provided with all the necessary
information.
International Observer: Belarusian Election is Truly Democratic
The presidential election in Belarus is carried out in compliance with the
international standards, told president of the
Christian Bridge International
Michael Morgulis, USA.
“There elections are truly democratic,” he said.
According to him, Belarus has chosen and has been following the right course
of development. He also noted that this year the country entered a new stage
of its development.
Observers
from Belgium and Netherlands Positively Assess Election Campaign in Belarus
Belarus has organized well the election campaign, therefore it goes on very
calmly, member of the senate of Belgium, international observer Frank
Creyelman told today.
He believes that the election campaign in Belarus differs little from the
elections in other European countries. “When I was going here I expected to
see a different picture which I formed relying on the information in western
mass media: that every voter would have somebody behind his back who would
control his vote. The things I have seen U-turned by impression about
Belarus”, the international observer said.
Frank Creyelman has visited 13 polls, 3 of them in the Novogrudok region,
the rest - in Minsk. According to him, there is no pressure at polling
stations.
He intends to share his positive impressions about Belarus with his
colleagues-senators. The guest from Belgium was especially impressed by the
Belarusian capital: “This is a safe and open city which stands out from many
European cities. Minskers are very friendly people. I feel comfortable
here”. Comparing the cleanness of the Belarusian capital with Brussels,
Frank Creyelman decided in favor of Minsk.
A businessman from the Netherlands, international observer Rick Manssen told
that he views positively the election campaign in Belarus. He said that he
has the information about the country from the first hands – for 14 years he
has been studying the situation here as his wife is from Gomel. He has a
business in Belarus and plans to implement new projects in agriculture.
Belarusian
Election Process Does Not Differ From That in UK
The Belarusian election does not differ from the UK election process, UK
observer Fillip Mathews told today.
“I have been in Belarus for 5 days already and so far I have visited 8
election centers, including two in Brest today. I have to admit that all of
them meet all the necessary criteria.
There are no obstacles for observers,” he noted.
On the whole, he sees no significant difference between the election
processes in Belarus and the UK. There are some minor distinctions, like for
example, in Great Britain the early voting is carried out by post while in
Belarus one have to appear in person in the election center. Yet these
distinctions do not influence the final result of voting.
International Observer From Lithuania: Belarus Wins Information War
The election commission has been working in line with the electoral code,
international observer from Lithuania Victoras Shugurovas told today.
He noted that the Lithuanian observers arrived in Belarus on March 16 and
started working on the next day. “So far we have visited 13 election centers
and have no complaints,” Victoras Shugurovas said.
Lithuanian and some other Western mass media have presented biased coverage
of the election campaign in Belarus, he noted. “Yet the Election Day has
shown that they had lost the information war,” Victoras Shugurovas believes.
OSCE
Observers Note Friendly Attitude of District Election Commissions Staff In
Vitebsk Oblast
Representatives of the OSCE/ODIHR election observation mission and local
authorities of Vitebsk oblast have established proper cooperation; told Ib
Alken, OSCE/ODIHR long-term observer.
According to him, he has been observing the election in Vitebsk oblast since
February. Over the period he had an opportunity to meet with representatives
of various organizations, media as well as observe the activities of
territorial and district commissions.
He noted a high turnout during the early presidential election.
OSCE/ODIHR
long-term observer Ethne McDermott said that their most important task is to
monitor thoroughly the developments in the region and to meet as many people
as possible. “We have developed good cooperation with the members of the
election commissions”, she added.
In turn,
OSCE/ODIHR observer Jonathan Browning (Great Britain) noted that he was
impressed by the friendliness of the Belarusians and their hospitality. “The
members of the district commissions are well-disposed to the observers”, he
stressed.
Mr.
Jonathan Browning is on his first visit to Belarus. According to him,
“before making a trip to this country I heard about the Belarusian
friendliness and hospitality and I am very happy that my first acquaintance
with your country has confirmed this”.
Observer from Poland: Voting in Minsk Complies with International Standards
The presidential poll in Minsk complies with the international standards.
“We have visited four polls and nowhere we have seen intimidation or
pressurizing”, independent international observer from Poland Marjan Walczak
told today.
He noted that the turnout is very high. People are very active, come to vote
by the families.
According to Marjan Walczak, at the polls he has visited everything has been
done for the voting to go smoothly. All staffs of the commissions are
present; security and safety of the electoral documents have been ensured.
“It is evident that the elections are transparent and comply with the
effective legislation. This is also attested to by the results of the check
up of the documents, ballot-papers and the activity of the election
commissions”, Marjan Wlaczak believes.
He also noted that he came to Belarus to eye-witness the elections. Since
Polish mass media gave only negative assessment on the eve of the
presidential poll, he decided to make up his own opinion. “I do not
represent any organization therefore I can be absolutely unbiased”, the
observer stressed.
He also informed that this is the second time he is in Belarus to monitor
the elections. During the previous presidential campaign he worked in
Mogilev oblast.
“I can state with confidence that both this time and last time I saw no
violations which can be encountered at polling stations in some other
countries”, Marjan Walczak concluded.
German
Observer: Election in Gomel Oblast Is Transparent
The presidential election in Gomel oblast is held in a transparent and
friendly atmosphere, observer from Germany Frantz Masser told today.
“What is especially pleasing is that the election commissions are open and
full of respect towards both the electors and observers. When we ask
something we receive irrefragable answers from its members,” he said.
Frantz Masser monitored the parliamentary election in 2004 in Belarus.
According to him, the present election is remarkable for a high turnout. Yet
the most sticking change is the better look of villages and towns. New
buildings are being constructed everywhere. “I think that the Belarusian
economy has been developing in the right way. This is a guarantee that the
life in the country will become better,” Frantz Masser said.
Many
European States Have Something to Learn from Belarus in How to Carry Out
Election Campaign
Many European states have something to learn from Belarus in how to carry
out an election campaign, deputy of the parliament of Israel Mikhail
Gorlovskiy told reporters today.
According to him, the elections go in Belarus in a calm and business
atmosphere. Today the Israeli parliamentarian visited eight polling stations
in Minsk.
Mikhail Gorlovskiy has said he visited Belarus twice in the middle of the
1990s. “These are two different countries. Progress is obvious”, the Israeli
deputy underscored.
Latvian MP:
Belarus’ Image in the West is Based of Faulty Impressions
The image of Belarus in the West is formed on the basis of faulty standards
and impressions, international observer Nikolay Kabanov, a Latvian Seim MP,
told today.
“Watching the Latvian TV you get a kind of eerie impression about Belarus.
But this turns out to be a total falsification. Belarus is a country which
is making progress following its own plan”, the observer said.
The desire of the West to see an alternative candidate as the president of
Belarus “is connected with big money and property ownership issues and has
economic grounds to it”. “Certainly, Belarus attracts many overseas
profit-seekers and the fact that the country has a president who does not
let such people buy out the property, as it was the case in entire Eastern
Europe, is not to everyone’s liking”, Nikolay Kabanov noted. Everybody saw
the way “shock” reforms were performed in Poland, Latvia, Lithuania.
“Unfortunately, Eastern Europe does not have its own development plan at the
moment. If fact the development policy in the area is much influenced by the
USA”, the Latvian policy-maker believes.
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