Meeting with OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Vice President Kent Harstedt
The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly is among those keen to follow the elections closely, with its observation mission led by special co-ordinator Kent Harstedt, a Swedish parliamentarian. Mr. Harstedt is also the Vice President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and is a truly interesting personality, being among the 138 passengers who survived the sinking of the Estonia ferry in 1994, with 989 people on board. Twenty years later, in 2015, Mr. Harstedt headed a mission of OSCE short-term observers to Ukraine’s parliamentary elections. This is his second visit to Belarus in just a few months. His recent talks with the Deputy Chairman of the House of Representatives, Victor Guminsky, resembled a warm meeting of friends. Mr. Guminsky underlined, “I’m delighted that many issues — as we discussed during our previous meeting — are steadily being realised. Belarus is doing everything possible to ensure that you experience no problems during your mission in our country. I’m convinced that your high professionalism and huge experience in election observations will enable you to fulfil your mission successfully.” He also expressed gratitude to Mr. Harstedt, asking him to send thanks to the President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, Ilkka Kanerva, for the OSCE PA’s acceptance of Belarus’ invitation to observe the Presidential elections.
In turn, Mr. Harstedt thanked Belarus for its invitation, saying, “It’s a good sign that you’ve invited us and the Council of Europe, whose representatives will be observing the elections for the first time in many years. We welcome the fact that you’ve invited so many of us — to ensure our efficient work. Pleasingly, we’ve established interaction, which will simplify the work of our short-term observers. At the moment, we have every chance of fulfilling our goals, without obstacles.”
OSCE PA representatives also visited the Foreign Ministry and met the Chair of the Central Election Committee, Lidia Yermoshina, who later commented, “They’ve expressed satisfaction with the process of our election campaign, noting their belief that they’ll face no disappointment on election day.”
A mission of short-term observers — led by Kent Harstedt — is due to come to Belarus on October 7th.
BE AWARE!
Elections-2015 for iPhones and iPads
The 2015 Elections mobile application is now available for iOS devices: iPhones and iPads. Previously, only Android based handsets were able to download the application. Already, over 3,500 users have done so, to gain information on the Belarusian election campaign. The application makes such data accessible and convenient for all.
DIRECT SPEECH
Sergei Lebedev, the head of the CIS observation mission:
Thoughts that elections in Belarus are tiresome have no grounds. Everything is calm. Such a calm campaign indicates a stable society. It’s great that we haven’t seen any fighting or confrontation. I’ve been closely following the election campaign and appreciate the calm tone of candidates’ speeches, as well as their well-thought out ideas. This constructive approach shows a high organisational level and a sense of personal responsibility for the peace and stability of Belarus.
МТ’S REFERENCE:
TV debates scheduled for October 3rd
Three Presidential candidates are to participate in TV debates. The Belarusian TV and Radio Company has received applications from Sergei Gaidukevich, Tatiana Korotkevich and Nikolay Ulakhovich. TV debates are scheduled for Saturday, October 3rd, at 5pm, lasting for an hour.
By Marat Orekhov
