Michael Kozak Draws Parallel Between Belarus and Nicaragua :: Charter'97 :: News

US ambassador in Minsk Michael Kozak in his letter to the British newspaper The Guardian confirmed certain common features between Nicaragua in 1989-1990 and present-day Belarus: “Our objective and to some degree methodology are the same. Then we worked with the Sandinista authorities, the Organisation of American States, other countries in the region, and the former Soviet Union to encourage a free, fair and transparent election.

Today we are working with the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the Association of Central and Eastern European Election Officials, and OSCE member states, including the EU members, to encourage the Belarusian authorities to institute some modicum of press access for the opposition and a transparent vote-counting process,” – said Kozak.

“Twelve years ago, we advised the Nicaraguan opposition that the best way to pursue their political agenda was through participation in a peaceful electoral process; today we are giving the same advice to the opposition in Belarus,” – notes the US ambassador in Minsk.

According to Kozak, the former Nicaraguan president Ortega never called into question the results of the ballot, which he lost: “Our objective in Belarus, like that of the other members of the OSCE, is to help Belarus develop an electoral system that meets the international standards Belarus committed itself to when it joined the OSCE. If such a system is put in place, it will be up to the Belarusian voters, not me or Mr Almond, to decide who will lead their country for the next few years.”