OSCE levels criticism at Belarus parliamentary electionSeptember 24, 2012 - 15:46 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The Belarus parliamentary election dominated by candidates loyal to President Alexander Lukashenko was not a free, impartial election, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) said on Monday, Sept 24, Reuters reported. "This election was not competitive from the start," Matteo Mecacci, OSCE special coordinator, said in the statement. "A free election depends on people being free to speak, organize and run for office, and we didn't see that in this campaign." The election was boycotted by the main opposition and produced a parliament composed exclusively of independents or candidates loyal to Lukashenko, reinforcing his autocratic, 18-year rule. A report of preliminary findings published by the OSCE, which fielded 330 observers of the election, said many prominent politicians who might have played an important role in the election "remained in prison or were not eligible to register because of their criminal record". Mecacci added: "We were here in 2010 when some of those people were first arrested and put in jail, and we are sad that their voices could not be heard this campaign." Observers had also not been given "meaningful opportunity" to observe the count and had come away with a negative evaluation of the counting process in a significant number of polling stations observed, the OSCE said. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Czech-Armenian military cooperation discussed in Yerevan A delegation led by the Director General for the Industrial Cooperation Division of the Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic visited Armenia. U.S. welcomes efforts to define Armenia-Azerbaijan border The United States welcomes efforts to define the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, says Vedant Patel. Biden honors resilience of Armenian people on April 24 U.S. President Joe Biden has issued a statement on the 109th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Ex-Karabakh leader moved to solitary confinement cell in Baku, his son says David Vardanyan is the son of former Karabakh leader Ruben Vardanyan who who is currently imprisoned in Azerbaijan. |