EU Council Representatives Called On Authorities To Reform Electoral Law

The delegation of the EU Council's Political and Security Committee called on the authorities to organize free and fair elections.

The delegation of the EU Council's Political and Security Committee proposed the Belarusian authorities to reform the electoral law, BelaPAN was told by the United Civil Party chairman Anatol Liabedzka, after the delegation had met with the opposition parties’ representatives in Minsk on November 21.

"They told us straight what their mission was, though usually diplomats prefer to silence it down or say it in a roundabout way, – he said. – This time the diplomats put it clearly that they had come with a proposal for the Belarusian authorities to reform the electoral law. In addition, they stated the importance of political parties and public organizations’ registration and rehabilitation of political prisoners."

Also Liabedzka mentioned the important remark, made by the head of the delegation, committee chairman Walter Stevens: "We are not naive and are not blind, we know about the situation in Belarus, but the opportunity to come and talk to the decision makers is very important."

According to Liabedzka, most of the Belarusian side representatives expressed the generally held opinion at the meeting: "Free and fair elections are the most important issue for us." "Only then we can put into practice our economic insight and state that the Belarusian issue has been sealed. There have been some populist statements about the necessity to sign a frame agreement between Belarus and the EU. But this would mean that there are no problems in Belarus either with political and human rights, or with freedoms," – he said.

The EU Council's Political and Security Committee consists of the EU countries’ ambassadors, who work in Brussels. This is a permanent structure of the EU Council. Its task is to monitor the international situation in the areas, covered by the EU common foreign and security policy, and to inform the EU Council. The Committee plays a key role in the EU's political dialogue.