New York Times 24 September 2012 By Andrew Kramer Supporters of President Aleksandr G. Lukashenko won every seat in Parliament in an election over the weekend that, as many in post-Soviet authoritarian states, was widely seen as rigged, if perhaps a little less so than before. The chairman of the Central Election Commission said the turnout was 74 percent, despite calls for a boycott by two opposition parties. Other opposition figures were

The FINANCIAL 24 September 2012 Many OSCE commitments on citizen's democratic rights to associate, to stand as candidates and to express themselves freely were not respected in yesterday's parliamentary elections in Belarus, concluded the international observers from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights and the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly. As OSCE reported, the elections were not administered in an impartial manner and

Matteo Mecacci at a polling station in Minsk, 23 September 2012. MINSK, 24 September 2012 – Many OSCE commitments on citizen's democratic rights to associate, to stand as candidates and to express themselves freely were not respected in yesterday's parliamentary elections in Belarus, concluded the international observers from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (OSCE PA). The

WARSAW, 24 September 2012 – Addressing the OSCE Office for Democratic Institution and Human Rights' annual Human Dimension Implementation Meeting (HDIM) today, OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Riccardo Migliori called for a renewed focus on human rights in the organization. "In 1975," he said, "the Helsinki Process ensured that human rights were forever linked to comprehensive security. We called it the 'third dimension' or 'third basket,'

President Riccardo Migliori addresses European Conference of Presidents of Parliaments on 21 September 2012. STRASBOURG, France, 21 September 2012 – In an address to presidents of parliament from across Europe, OSCE PA President Riccardo Migliori said today that it is critical that parliamentarians, governments and international organizations work together to restore faith in representative democracy around the world. Speaking at the European

Special Co-ordinator Matteo Mecacci opens the short-term observer briefing in Minsk, 21 September 2012. MINSK, 21 September 2012 – More than 70 election observers from the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly began their election observation mission today in Belarus. Matteo Mecacci, the special co-ordinator to lead the OSCE short-term observer mission, opened the briefing today in Minsk after having a meeting in the morning with the foreign minister.