The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia has taken note of the Statement of Preliminary Findings and Conclusions by the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) of the Organisation of Security and Cooperation in Europe concerning early parliamentary elections in Belarus on 17 November.
The report recognises that the elections proceeded calmly but did not meet a number of important international standards and principles for democratic elections.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs urges the Government of Belarus to continue its efforts of bringing its electoral legislation in line with international standards, taking into account recommendations from ODIHR and the Venice Commission. Latvia is prepared to share its reform experience, including that of organizing free and democratic elections.
Latvia will continue to work on building close neighbourly relations with Belarus and strengthening cooperation between the European Union and Belarus.
Background information
The Venice Commission is the Council of Europe’s advisory body on the matters of constitutional law.
