2001 press releases

ODIHR: European Observers Remain Shut Out (August 6, 2001)

WARSAW, 6 August 2001 (OSCE) - Belarusian authorities are obstructing an effective international observation of their upcoming presidential election by denying entry to Europe's principal election observation institution.

"This is an unacceptable situation," said Gerard Stoudmann, Director of the OSCE's Office for  democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR). "Never before has an OSCE participating State refused entry to the ODIHR to observe an election. It's a clear violation of international commitments  undertaken by the government."

Over the past month, the Belarusian government has rebuffed repeated ODIHR efforts to launch a mission, despite assurances that an invitation would be forthcoming. The ODIHR had hoped to deploy its observation team by 1 August, operating under a standard procedure that requires observers to be on the ground for six weeks before an election in order to conduct an effective operation.

While the Belarusian authorities have invited observers from individual countries and various  international organizations, they have conspicuously omitted the ODIHR. Asked about Belarusian motives, Stoudmann replied: "You'll have to draw your own conclusions as to why they would choose to block the entry of the only European multilateral institution in a position to field a large-scale, long-term observation."

"Time is running out," stressed Stoudmann. "As a result of this obstruction, it is already too late to conduct the kind of full-fledged observation that we do in other countries. The credibility of the entire election process is being drawn into question."