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German human rights commissioner urges Lukashenka to secure democratic presidential election

Markus Loening, the German government`s human rights commissioner, has called on Alyaksandr Lukashenka to ensure that December`s presidential election is consistent with international standards, as quoted by BelaPAN.

In his September 14 statement, the German official said that all candidates should have equal access to the media, while opposition activists should be admitted to election commissions and a transparent vote count should be secured.

Mr. Loening expressed hope that the Belarusian authorities would "invite long-term OSCE observers to monitor the election."

"Europe will be closely following the election campaign," the human rights commissioner warned.

The House of Representatives on Tuesday set December 19 as the main voting day in the election.