Presidential election 2015 in Belarus

MINSK, 12 October (BelTA) – All presidential candidates were provided with opportunities for campaigning, Kent Harstedt, the special coordinator of the OSCE mission to monitor the Belarus president election, told journalists on 12 October, BelTA has learned.

“All candidates were able to campaign throughout the country and to convey their messages without hindrance. The candidates told us that the volume of media coverage they received was evenly balanced,” Kent Harstedt noted.

He also praised the work of Belarusian media that covered the electoral campaign.

However, Kent Harstedt noted that some high-ranking public servants and officials campaigned during working hours on behalf of the incumbent president. A number of his campaign events were held in state-run enterprises, and some state-supported public associations and institutions campaigned on his behalf. “These and other aspects blurred the line between partisan interest and the state in violation of paragraphs 5.4, 7.6 and 7.7b of the OSCE Copenhagen Document of 1990,” Kent Harstedt added.