Lithuania defends banning Russian and Belarusian observers from monitoring its presidential election
The IndependentFor free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Lithuania defended Wednesday the decision not to allow Russian and Belarusian observers to monitor its upcoming presidential election, accusing both countries of spearheading campaigns that "pose a threat to our national security.” The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe — which includes Lithuania, Russia and Belarus— usually sends multi-national observer teams to watch its 57 member states’ elections. Lithuania’s Foreign Ministry in a statement Wednesday said the country had invited OSCE observers to monitor the election "except for the aggressor Russia and its supporter Belarus” and accused them of being a threat to the Baltic nation's political and electoral processes. It said in a statement that signaling nationalities out of the invite was against the rules of equal treatment of all member states and “in breach of the commitments made by all participating States of the OSCE.” However, the OSCE expressed “full confidence” in Lithuania’s electoral process, while pointing to the “value of an independent external assessment."
History of this topic
Belarusians vote in a tightly controlled election as the opposition calls for its boycott
Associated PressAs Belarus votes in tightly controlled elections, its leader accuses the West of fueling unrest
Associated PressOSCE laments Belarus’ refusal to allow its monitors to observe February’s parliamentary vote
Associated PressBelarus refuses to invite OSCE observers to monitor this year’s parliamentary election
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