Experts: Belarus' electoral code doesn't guarantee democratic elections

The amendments to the Electoral Code of Belarus are a step forward but do not guarantee transparent and democratic elections, experts from OSCE ODIHR and the Council of Europe's Venice Commission said in a joint statement.
OSCE ODIHR Director Janez Lenarcic noted that "the positive effect of the amendments can potentially be marred by the shortcomings in the vote count procedure". Venice Commission Secretary Tomas Market said the electoral laws alone could not guarantee that elections are in line with international standards. "The quality of the future elections in Belarus will depend not only on the current laws. It is important how the legal framework is going to be used" he stressed.

In the view of the international experts, the procedure of candidate registration and campaigning should be simplified in order to improve the electoral process in Belarus. Additional guarantees on early voting should be given. It should also be allowed to appeal the decisions of the Central Election Commission in the Supreme Court.

The OSCE and the Venice Commission are ready for further close cooperation with Minsk on all the issues associated with the reforms of electoral laws.