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Lukashenka dissatisfied with OSCE PA’s choice for head of its election observation mission

Alyaksandr Lukashenka, while meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Minsk on Wednesday, expressed his dissatisfaction with the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s choice of Italian MP Matteo Mecacci as head of its observation mission for Belarus’ 2012 parliamentary elections, BelaPAN said.

“I think they could have found a person who would have better knowledge of Belarus and the situation in the Republic of Belarus,” Mr. Lukashenka said, according to the government’s news agency BelTA. “We are studying all these matters and will certainly respond in a proper manner.”

Now that the elections are coming up, there are things that cause concern, the Belarusian leader said. “You understand that political activities are gaining momentum, but not always in the right way. There have not so far been any major outbursts in Belarus except for the West, which is always eager to stir up something.”

Mr. Lavrov in turn promised that Russia would do everything possible for assessments of international observers to be unbiased and not based on unilateral rules that “the OSCE tries to impose despite our repeated collective proposals to develop commonly acceptable election observation rules.”

“There is an increasing understanding within the OSCE that it is necessary to put things to rights in this field,” Mr. Lavrov said.

According to him, in July, the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly adopted a decision calling for a comparative analysis of the electoral regulations of all participating countries for the purpose of establishing common criteria. “This is what we tried to achieve,” he said. “Now it is important for us to transfer this parliamentary decision to the interstate level.”

“We have a decision of the CIS Council of Heads of States to enhance the role of CIS observation missions at presidential and parliamentary elections,” Mr. Lavrov said. “This decision is aimed at ensuring that our observers have more influence on these processes in the European region, so that the OSCE, represented by the ODIHR or the Parliamentary Assembly, will not have a monopoly and assessments will be made on the basis of balanced and collective approaches and opinions.”

Following his appointment in July to head the OSCE PA observation mission, Mr. Mecacci, chairperson of the Assembly’s Committee on Democracy, Human Rights, and Humanitarian Questions, said: "We come into this election observation with an open mind and outstretched hand to our friends in Belarus. It is our hope that we witness marked improvement from the last election and that all people, including some now under house arrest or in prison, will be allowed to participate in the parliamentary election without intimidation or restrictions."