Yarmoshyna teaches OSCE how to observe her “elections”

The head of the Belarusian Central Election Commission (CEC) again complains at OSCE work.

Lidzia Yarmoshyna proposed to improve the OSCE election monitoring process at the OSCE Supplementary Human Dimension Meeting in Vienna  on July 12—13.

“A day and a half was devoted to a discussion of the OSCE work on election monitoring,” Yarmoshyna told BelaPAN. “Like my colleagues, I made a short report and offered to improve the OSCE election observation handbook by adding a provision describing a procedure of appealing against conclusions of the OSCE observation mission.”

According to the CEC head, “The most remarkable was the fact that only heads of election commissions of the CIS countries were invited to the meeting. None representatives of the western election bodies was present.” Besides, NGO representatives were invited to the meeting. Yarmoshyna noted: “It was a selection representation: only people from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan and Belarus were invited.”

The CEC head thinks, “It means they invited a determined number of participants.” “Such events are held every second year in the past years. It was my first visit. As far as I know, a range of participants was wider at previous meetings. At least, representatives of election bodies of most OSCE member states were invited to the meetings held in Vienna. I think it was a disciplinary measure to influence the CIS countries,” Yarsmohyna said.

She said the theme of the Belarusian election was not raised at the meeting. “Only one thing was mentioned: why NGO representative Karnyaenka was not present. On the second day, another representative of the Belarusian opposition, a certain Ms Slutskaya who works in Warsaw, appeared,” she said.