COPENHAGEN, 12 August 2016 – OSCE parliamentarians will observe the upcoming parliamentary election in Belarus and provide leadership for the OSCE’s short-term observer mission.
OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Frank-Walter Steinmeier has appointed Kent Harstedt (MP, Sweden) as Special Co-ordinator to lead the short-term OSCE observer mission for the 11 September vote. Ivana Dobesova (MP, Czech Republic) will serve as Head of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly delegation, which will include more than 31 MPs from 13 OSCE participating States.
“My fellow observers and I look forward to following the electoral process in Belarus in great detail. I expect to see concrete progress on shortcomings previously raised by OSCE observers, particularly a more representative composition of election commissions and an increased transparency in vote-counting and tabulation. I look forward to seeing the electoral administration translate into action the OSCE/ODIHR’s recommendations made after recent election observations in the country,” Special Co-ordinator Harstedt said.
On 14-16 August, Harstedt will travel to Minsk and Mogilev for a pre-election visit, meeting with a range of officials and stakeholders in the election process.
Special Co-ordinator Harstedt serves as a Vice-President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and as Head of the Swedish delegation to the Assembly. He is also the Chair of the OSCE PA Working Group on Belarus. Last year, he served as OSCE Special Co-ordinator for the presidential election in Belarus.
Ivana Dobesova, who will lead the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Delegation of observers, is the Vice-Chair of the Assembly’s Committee on Democracy, Human Rights and Humanitarian Questions. She also serves as Head of the Czech delegation to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly. She led the Assembly’s delegation for the parliamentary elections in Kyrgyzstan in 2015.
The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly previously observed presidential elections in Belarus in 2001, 2006, 2010 and 2015, as well as parliamentary elections in 1995, 2004, 2008 and 2012.
