Jerzy Buzek, Head of European Parliament, believes that the presidential election in Belarus will be "a crucial election which will determine the future direction of EU-Belarus relations". "The last elections in Belarus have amounted to little more than a farce of democracy. This is not how democratic processes work: democracy is not a staged play with a director and actors following a script", Jerzy Buzek said.
In a statement made in Strasbourg, the President of the European Parliament welcomed the fact that Belarus had invited the election observers from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights. However he recalled, that the recommendations of the Office must be implemented without any exclusion, so that the elections could be considered fair and democratic.
«The Belarusian authorities need to guarantee a level playing field for all candidates. That includes measures concerning the conditions for the registration of candidates, the representation of the opposition at all levels of electoral committees, the integrity of the early voting and the transparency of the vote could,» Jerzy Buzek said.
Head of the European Parliament expressed concern about the state of press freedom in Belarus and called on authorities to ensure equal access to the media for all candidates, and end the intimidation and harassment of independent journalists..
Jerzy Buzek also said that he encouraged the democratic forces of Belarus to unite their efforts to create a credible choice for the Belarusian voters.
