Schmidt’s statement: is it OSCE position or personal opinion?

• 12.06.2009, 10:27

Head of the OSCE Office in Minsk Hans-Johan Schmidt has stated that the ODIHR won’t consider changes to the Electoral Code recommended by democrats.

The presidium of the Political Council of the United Democratic Forces has made a decision to address the head of the OSCE chairperson-in-office Dora Bakoyannis and the director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) Janez Lenarčič concerning the statements by Head of the OSCE Office in Minsk Hans-Johan Schmidt.

During the meeting with the co-chairman of the UDF, chairman of the United Civil party Anatol Lyabedzka, Mr Schmidt stated that ODIHR experts and Venetian commission won’t consider the project of changes and alterations to the Electoral Code of Belarus, prepared by the United Democratic Forces, but will consider only proposals of the regime.

As noted by Anatol Lyabedzka, the UDF want to find out whether the statement of Mr Schmidt is the position of the OSCE or his personal position.

“Besides, we will offer the ODIHR director to carry out consultations to find out how far has the issue of the electoral legislation alteration has advanced,” Anatol Lyabedzka said. “We state that the situation is not normal: some rules are being written for political parties to play according to them, but the parties themselves are move aside from this process”.