Representative Of UN Secretary General: There Must Be Free And Fair Elections In Belarus

Stéphane Dujarric has stated that the leadership of the organization pays close attention to the current election campaign.

Representative of the UN Secretary General Stéphane Dujarric commented on the developments in Belarus related to the upcoming presidential election. He spoke about it at a briefing for media representatives, tut.by writes.

Answering the question about the UN Secretary-General's vision of the situation regarding the non-registration of the two candidates and the following mass protests in Belarus, as well as the need to hold free and fair presidential elections there, Stéphane Dujarric emphasized the close attention of the organization leadership to the current election campaign and the necessity to respect the rights of citizens to peaceful assembly by the authorities.

- Free and fair elections should be held everywhere. We have certainly been watching what is going on in Belarus, especially the demonstrations that took place, the whole period of preparation for the elections. People in Belarus or anywhere else, as we have said, have fundamental rights to participate in peaceful demonstrations and to defend the rule of law. So we will continue to monitor the situation, but I think it is important for people to be able to express themselves peacefully and for the authorities to exercise restraint and guarantee this right of people, - the UN representative said.