Parliamentary Elections, 28 September 2008

Following an invitation from the Belarusian authorities, and based on the findings and conclusions of an ODIHR needs assessment mission that visited Belarus from 9 to 12 June, ODIHR has deployed an election observation mission (EOM) to observe the parliamentary elections in Belarus, which are scheduled for 28 September 2008, with the possibility of a second round within two weeks in those constituencies in which no candidate receives 50 per cent of the votes cast.

The EOM and the OSCE Office in Minsk, headed by Ambassador Hans-Jochen Schmidt, operate separately under their specific mandates.

Long-term observation

The EOM, headed by Ambassador Geert-Hinrich Ahrens, consists of 15 international staff based in Minsk drawn from 13 OSCE participating States. In addition, 41 long-term observers from 15 OSCE participating States will be deployed throughout the country.

The mission will assess the election for its compliance with the principles for democratic electoral processes, including commitments agreed to by all OSCE participating States, as well as national legislation. Observers will closely monitor campaign activities, media coverage, the legislative framework and its implementation, the media situation, the work of the election administration and relevant government bodies, and the resolution of election disputes.

Election day

ODIHR has requested 300 short-term observers to be deployed immediately prior to election day. The short-term observers will be deployed throughout the country in multinational teams of two to monitor the opening of polling stations, the voting, the counting of ballots, and the tabulation of results. The day after the elections, the EOM will issue a statement of preliminary findings and conclusions. A final report on the observation of the entire electoral process will be issued approximately eight weeks after the end of the observation mission.

Previous elections

ODIHR has previously conducted four election observation activities in Belarus, most recently with EOMs for the parliamentary elections in 2004 and the presidential election in 2006 respectively.