The September 23 parliamentary elections in Belarus fell short of international standards and their conduct cannot be considered free or fair. The preliminary assessment of the OSCE election observation mission found that the elections were “not competitive from the start.” The observer mission cited the limitation of choice for voters, the lack of impartiality on the part of the election commission, and the lack of proper counting procedures.
The United States urges the authorities to take steps to meet Belarus’s international commitments to hold genuinely democratic elections and to foster respect for human rights. Enhanced respect for democracy and human rights in Belarus, including the release and rehabilitation of all political prisoners, remains central to improving bilateral relations with the United States.
