The European Union has followed closely the presidential elections of 11 October 2015 in the Republic of Belarus, including the pre-electoral phase and the campaigning period.
It is important that the election day was held in a peaceful environment.
We take note of the preliminary findings and conclusions of the OSCE/ODIHR International Election Observation Mission on the Presidential elections in Belarus. According to the Mission, Belarus still has considerable way to go towards fulfilling its OSCE commitments for democratic elections. Work needs to be done to improve the electoral framework, particularly on balanced electoral administration and Election Day procedures.
We will study carefully the final OSCE/ODIHR report and its recommendations.
Ahead of the parliamentary elections of 2016, these recommendations should be implemented by the national authorities. We are ready to assist Belarus in its efforts to bring its election process in line with OSCE commitments and other international standards for democratic elections.
