Written question asked by Lord Watson of Wyre Forest (Labour) on Tuesday, 15 December 2009, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 5 January 2010. It was answered by Chris Bryant (Labour) on Wednesday, 6 January 2010 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
Belarus
- Question
- To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the political situation in Belarus.
- Answer
-
The political situation in Belarus remains very restrictive. We are concerned by the lack of recognition by the authorities that the existence of an opposition is a vital part of a properly functioning democracy. Presidential elections in 2006 were described by the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) election observation mission as""severely flawed due to the arbitrary use of state power and restrictions on basic rights""and no opposition politician obtained a seat in Parliament at the last parliamentary elections in September 2008.Local elections are due in spring 2010, and presidential elections are due before February 2011. I welcome the Belarusian decision to discuss electoral reforms with the OSCE. This is a step in the right direction. We and the international community will be watching developments carefully in the run up to these elections.
Secondary information
- Type
- Written question
- Reference
- 503 c407W; 308367
- Session
- 2009-10
- Related items
- Subjects
- Politics and government Belarus
- Link
- View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk
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- Timestamp
- 2020-05-28 12:50:09 +0100
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