WARSAW/MINSK, 11 October 2004 - The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR) Election Observation Mission to the 17 October parliamentary elections in Belarus has recently been the object of sustained negative and aggressive comments in the Belarusian state media and from state officials.
A non-partisan parliamentary candidate in Zhodino, near Minsk, urged the central election authority to axe his rival, a senior business executive, for allegedly campaigning at a local factory during the work shift.
On 8 October Schuchyn Town Court warned the candidate to deputies Aliaksandr Milinkevich upon part 1 of article 167.1 of the Code of Administrative Violations – violation of the order of organization and holding of mass measures (that’s how the court qualified meeting of Aliaksandr Milinkevich with the electorate). As a result of the court warning circuit election commission will have to make a decision concerning the violation of electoral legislation by the candidate to parliament A. Milinkevich.
On 6 October the police detained three proxies of Yury Khadyka at agitation picket. According to Khadyka, one of them, Larysa Leparskaya, was taken to Minsk Pershamayski Borough Board of Internal Affairs for “illegal” picketing. There the police searched the woman and found several dozens of stickers “Say NO to Lukashenka!” and composed on her a report for distribution of printed materials without issue data.
The election commission of the number 108 Kalinovsky district in Minsk on Saturday issued a warning to the leader of the Belarusian Social Democratic Party (BSDP) "Narodnaya Hramada."
Several hundred people turned out for Sunday’s authorized rally staged by opposition forces in Nations’ Friendship Park near Minsk’s Bangalore Square. As the organizer, MP Sergei Skrebets, said in an interview with BelaPAN, the main purpose of the event was to protest the October 17 referendum and possible vote fraud during the parliamentary elections.
A top aide to authoritarian Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko early Monday accused the United States and the European Union of being "unfair" and "immoral" in dealing with the impoverished former Soviet republic.
Belarusian students studying at Moscow universities, as well as other members of the Belarusian community staged an authorized demonstration near the Belarusian embassy in the Russian capital on Sunday to protest Aleksandr Lukashenko`s proposal put up for the October 17 referendum.
The administrations of several schools in Gomel have refused to provide premises to Ales Korniyenko, a parliamentary candidate representing the Five Plus opposition coalition, for holding meetings with voters.
According to “Opinion about referendum on October 17” adopted on Friday Venice Commission found that question offered by Aliaksandr Lukashenka does not correspond to European standards. Venice Commission adopted decision based on comments of two experts Italian Mr. Sergio Bartole and Irish Mr. Matthew Russell says that “the question put on referendum causes several objections”.
In many countries of the world the convention is to sum up the results of the elections not only inside the Central Election Commission. People are going into the central streets and squares of cities to express the joy of victory and to find out the real outcome of the voting. Belarus should not be an exception. If the results of the elections and referendum, which are to happen this Sunday, would not be forged, we shall express our joy over the victory of democratic candidates and our “NO” answer to the life-long term of Lukashenka. The confidence in such results is suggested by the opinion polls and general sentiments of the Belarusians, who are tired of the authorities and want a better life and free Belarus. If the unrealistic “triumphal” 70-80% of support to Lukashenka would be announced, we shall take part in the peaceful demonstration and express dissent with the regime. October 18, Minsk, the October Square, 6 p.m. – Summarizing Election and Referendum Results
Aleksandr Lukashenko promised to enact regulations that would require private companies to raise pay for their employees, threatening to shut down those failing to comply.
The House of Representatives of the Belarusian National Assembly on October 8 passed a ratification bill for an interstate agreement between Belarus and Syria on the international carriage of passengers and goods by road.
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