BHC chairman: OSCE’s final report will not differ from previous election

OSCE observers ‘are not going to be impressed’ by the Belarusian presidential election and their final report will not differ from the previous ones, chairman of the Belarusian Helsinki Committee and human rights defender Aleh Hulak told Euroradio. The first preliminary report was correct, he believes. There were very few political assessments in it.

“What will be in the final report? I can only guess. But I do not see why the OSCE would change its approach. It will be a technical report, not a political one. They will not make conclusions about democracy or say anything about the recognition of the election – it is not their function. Their recommendations will be concrete and adequate,” the human rights defender said.

The vote count procedure will be important for OSCE observers, he noted. The post-election events also matter. If everything is quiet it will not affect the OSCE report but it will affect the political conclusions that will be made by international organizations and certain countries.

Political relations are not built only on election procedures, Aleh Hulak added. They are built on other factors essential for the today’s regional existence – the factor of security, the factor of Ukraine, the factor of Russia and the Belarusian administration’s approach to it.

“I do not think that people will be queuing to congratulate the authorities. But if the approach is peaceful, political progress will be evident. The further events are quite a different matter. Judging by Europeans’ mood, I can say that the Belarusian authorities may expect a warming,” the human rights defender summed up.

Photo: Radio Liberty