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Belarus' parliamentary campaign is going «at very low key,» says head of OSCE/ODIHR observation mission

Belarus' parliamentary campaign is going "at very low key," considering that the House of Representatives elections are just two weeks away, Antonio Milososki, head of the observation mission of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), told BelaPAN on Monday.

Since the arrival of the first group of OSCE/ODIHR observers on August 21, the observation mission has established a constant contact with Belarus' central election commission, foreign and information ministries, Supreme Court and other interested agencies, Mr. Milososki said.

The mission receives quite a lot of information, but it comes from not only government sources but also from political parties, non-governmental organizations, journalists, and some parliamentary candidates, he said.

From the very beginning, the mission has monitored the Belarusian media, Mr. Milososki noted.

On September 13, the mission will publish its interim report, which will deal with all aspects of the election campaign, including legal and media issues and candidate registration, he said.

When asked about the distinguishing features of Belarusian elections, Mr. Milososki said that every country had its own electoral regulations and attitude toward elections.

According to Mr. Milososki, in his home country, Macedonia, the head of the central election commission is appointed by its largest opposition party with the consent of the parliament.

In addition, candidates in Macedonia have unlimited access to the media, he said. //BelaPAN