Presidential election 2015 in Belarus

MINSK, 25 August (BelTA) – Over 90 international observers have already been accredited by the Central Election Commission (CEC) of Belarus for the president election, CEC Chairperson Lidia Yermoshina said in an interview with the SB Belarus Segodnya Internet TV channel on 25 August, BelTA has learned.

“The Central Election Commission has accredited over 90 international observers. At the moment, the CIS and OSCE missions are represented almost equally. We expect to welcome another 400 short-term observers from each organization,” Lidia Yermoshina noted. The official added that she has plans to meet with head of the OSCE/ODIHR election observation mission Jacques Faure on 26 August.

As for the composition of the OSCE mission, Lidia Yermoshina explained that the organization recruits observers independently and sets quotas for each country. “We will accredit all the observers whose applications we have received,” she said.

Lidia Yermoshina pointed out that the Central Election Commission expects to welcome a bigger number of observers. Many independent observers have been invited to come to Belarus. “We have invited Ukraine but have received no response yet. They themselves have local elections on the horizon,” Lidia Yermoshina noted.