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 Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. 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". Partner news | Power of One Dram sums up two-year program with Teach for Armenia Idram Junior also joined the companies during the visit, bringing with it a fascinating intellectual game for children Moscow slams EU mission in Armenia for “provocative activity” The EU mission is doing more and more against Armenia’s neighbors Russia, Azerbaijan and Iran, Mikhail Galuzin said. Yerevan Mayor to travel to Paris on May 15-19 The official delegation headed by Yerevan Mayor Tigran Avinyan will travel to Paris from May 15 to 19. Armenia, India hold first defense consultations The meeting was attended by Indian Ambassador Nilakshi Saha Sinha and Defense Attaché Brigadier General Naveen Nijhawan. |