Local elections on the background of shelved electoral changes — press conference by human rights defenders
When: November 16, 11:00 am
Where: 8-26 Vulica Miarzhynskaha (office of the HRC "Viasna")
More details by phone: +375 17 394 63 11
Campaign’s website: elections2018.spring96.org
Against what background are the authorities launching the elections to local councils scheduled for 18 February 2018?
How did it happen that a whole year of work of the interdepartmental group established by the Central Election Commission to improve the electoral process ended in nothing?
Why did not the work of the inter-ministerial group on the OSCE ODIHR recommendations involve consultation with the OSCE experts?
What were the steps to implement the OSCE ODIHR recommendations proposed by the human rights defenders?
These questions will be discussed at a press conference of the campaign “Human Rights Defenders For Free Elections” to be held in Minsk on November 16.
Speakers: campaign coordinators Aleh Hulak (Belarusian Helsinki Committee) and Uladzimir Labkovich (Human Rights Center "Viasna").
They will give their assessment of the situation at the time of the announcement of the elections for the local councils of deputies of the 28th convocation. In addition, the speakers will focus on priority recommendations of international and national observers regarding the amendments to the Electoral Code, which are crucial to the holding of free and fair elections.
The speakers will also present plans for independent monitoring of the local elections, and tell about the peculiarities that will mark the observation.
The campaign "Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections", an initiative co-run by the Belarusian Helsinki Committee and the Human Rights Center “Viasna” since 2008, is a non-partisan initiative and does not intend to support political parties and politicians. The entire election process is assessed solely on the basis of the principles of free, democratic and transparent elections, which can enable the people of Belarus to fully exercise their constitutional right to participate in the government of the country.
