Presidential Election, 19 December 2010

Following an official invitation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus, ODIHR has deployed an election observation mission (EOM) to observe the 19 December presidential election.

The president of Belarus will be elected under a two-round majoritarian system. To be elected, the winning candidate must receive more than half of all votes cast. If no candidate secures an election victory in the first round, a second round will be held within two weeks between the two candidates who received the most votes. In addition, under the Constitution and the Election Code, 50 per cent of registered voters must vote in the first round and 25 per cent in the second round for the election to be valid.

This election is primarily regulated by the Constitution, an amended Election Code and by regulations issued by the Central Electoral Commission. Amendments to the Election Code were introduced in January 2010, to some extent based on recommendations formulated by ODIHR after the 2008 parliamentary elections.

Long-term observation

ODIHR conducted a needs assessment mission (NAM) from 27 to 29 September 2010 in order to assess the conditions and preparations for the election and to advise on the level of ODIHR involvement in the election. The NAM recommended that a standard election observation mission be deployed.

The EOM, headed by Ambassador Geert-Hinrich Ahrens, consists of 14 international staff based in Minsk drawn from 13 OSCE participating States. ODIHR has requested that OSCE participating States second 40 long-term observers, who are expected to arrive by 17 November and to be deployed throughout the country on 19 November.

The mission will assess the election for compliance with principles for democratic electoral processes, including commitments agreed to by all OSCE participating States, as well as national legislation. Observers will closely monitor campaign activities, media coverage, the legislative framework and its implementation, the media situation, the work of the election administration and relevant state bodies, and the resolution of election disputes.

Election day

ODIHR will request that participating States second 400 short-term observers to arrive and be deployed shortly before election day. The short-term observers will be deployed throughout the country in multinational teams of two to monitor the opening of polling stations, early voting, voting, the counting of ballots, and the tabulation of results.

The ODIHR mission will be joined by a delegation from the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly. The mission, together with parliamentary partners, will issue a statement of preliminary findings and conclusions at a press conference on the day after the election. ODIHR will issue a final report about two months after the end of the observation mission.

The EOM and the OSCE Office in Minsk, headed by Ambassador Benedikt Haller, operate separately under their specific mandates.

Previous elections

ODIHR has observed a number of electoral events in Belarus, including the presidential elections in 1994, 2001 and 2006, and parliamentary elections in 1995, 2000, 2004 and 2008.