OSCE Deeply Regret: Belarus Fails to Invite International Observers for Presidential 'Election' and Sets No Overseas Voting Stations

The Belarusian authorities have not invited a mission of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to observe the presidential election to be held in the country on 26 January, which is a violation of the country's international obligations. 

This is stated in the OSCE statement.

This is the third time since the presidential election in August 2020 that ODIHR has been unable to observe elections in Belarus due to the lack of a timely invitation.

In addition, Belarusians living abroad will not be able to vote in the presidential election, as, according to the head of the Belarusian Central Election Commission, Igor Karpenko, Belarusian legislation ‘does not provide for the establishment of polling stations abroad’.

The statement by the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (OSCE PA) also noted that the decision of the Belarusian authorities not to invite OSCE participating States to observe the 26 January presidential election ‘hinders an impartial and independent assessment of the electoral process’.

‘I deeply regret the decision of the Belarusian authorities not to invite OSCE participating States through ODIHR to observe the upcoming presidential election, which deprives the citizens of the country of a transparent and complete assessment of the entire process,’ said ODIHR Director Maria Telalian.

She stressed that this decision ‘underscores the unwillingness of the Belarusian authorities to invite other OSCE countries to observe and provide an independent opinion on whether the elections are being conducted in accordance with OSCE commitments and international democratic standards’.

The statement also notes that in recent months, the OSCE/ODIHR has ‘made efforts’ to engage with the Belarusian authorities on the issue of invitations to observe.

70-year-old Alexander Lukashenko has been ruling the country for 30 years. None of the presidential elections (2001, 2006, 2010, 2015, 2020), except for the first one (1994), have been internationally recognised as free and fair. Prior to the previous elections, Belarus saw a wave of rallies and protests in support of opposition candidates. Recently, the self-proclaimed President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, after three decades in power, stated that he was not holding on to power and was ready to do everything to quietly and calmly hand it over to a new generation.

The presidential election in Belarus will take place on 26 January. Before that, there will be early voting. In addition, the election campaign will run from 1 to 25 January 2025. The Central Election Commission of Belarus has registered five candidates who will run in the election. They are Alexander Lukashenko, Oleg Gaidukevich, Sergei Sirankov, Anna Kanapatskaya and Alexander Khizhnyak.