USA Waits for Clarifications from Belarus :: Charter'97 :: News

USA calls on the Central Commission of the Republic of Belarus for elections and national referenda with a plea to explain the motive behind the refusal to accredit the US embassy officials as international observers at the March 2 local elections. This inquiry was contained in the report of the deputy head of US mission in OSCE Permanent Council Douglas Davidson. Read the full transcript underneath:

“On February 23, the Embassy of the United States of America in Minsk sent a note to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus as well as the Central Election Commission requesting accreditation of U.S. Embassy diplomatic staff as election observers. On February 25, the Central Election Commission denied this request, asserting that it did not intend to extend invitations to international observers for the local elections held on March 2.

This response by the Central Election Commission contradicts a note from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that was circulated earlier the same day to all diplomatic missions and accredited organizations in Belarus. That document clearly stated that Belarus` electoral process provides for "the participation of national and international election observers."

Given the fact that Belarus` own legislation and its OSCE commitments provide for international election observation, we would welcome an explanation from Belarus of its refusal to accredit international election observers.

We would also like to reserve the right to return to this matter in the future in order to express our views on the electoral process itself.”