Events

MINSK, 30 January (BelTA) - The law on jointing the Convention on the Standards for Democratic Elections in the CIS Member States was officially published on the national legal information website on 30 January, BelTA has learnt.

BelTA reported earlier that the document was adopted by the House of Representatives on 5 December 2013 and approved by the Council of the Republic on 19 December 2013. The President signed it into law on 4 January 2014. Belarus joined the Convention with the following proviso: “The implementation by the Republic of Belarus of the Convention is based on the supremacy of the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus and is carried out in line with paragraph 1 of clause 19 of the Convention.”

In particular, the document reads that the standards of democratic elections mean the right of a citizen to elect and be elected to government agencies, local administration and other bodies of popular (national) representation. Among the standards are the principles of periodic, mandatory, just, fair and free elections based on universal and equal suffrage and secret ballot, the latter ensuring the free expression of voters’ will. Apart from that, elections must be open. The standards of democratic elections also provide for the judicial protection of voting rights and liberties of a person and a citizen, public and international election monitoring along with guarantees of electoral rights and freedoms of participants of the electoral process.

The Convention also considers inadmissible “any direct or indirect participation of foreign citizens, stateless persons, foreign legal persons, international popular movements and international organizations in activities that facilitate or hinder preparations and the holding of elections to state bodies and local administrations, other bodies of popular (national) representation or the election of officials.”