ODIHR OSCE mission ready to arrive to Belarus

There is no deadline for inviting the OSCE mission to Belarus.

It has been stated in an interview to BelaPAN by Spokesperson of the ODIHR Election Observation Mission and the OSCE Office in Minsk Jens Eschenbaecher.

“But we are glad to receive the invitation as early as possible, as the standard procedure requires sending an evaluating commission to the country first. The commission is to decide whether the observation over the election should take place, and in which format, and then the time for forming an observation mission is needed,” Mr Eschenbaecher explained.

He reminded that after the parliamentary election in Belarus in autumn 2008 and the visit of the Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, Ambassador Janez Lenarcic to Minsk in 2009, joint work of the structure and Belarusian authorities on amending the Electoral code of the country goes on.

“Amendment of the Electoral legislation is a long-term process; we have made recommendations in the report on the parliamentary elections. If we receive an invitation to observe the presidential election, and such a mission would be sent, we would continue collaboration in this area,” the OHIHR OSCE spokesperson said.