MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION

3.4.2006

to wind up the debate on statements by the Council and Commission
pursuant to Rule 103(2) of the Rules of Procedure
by Jonas Sjöstedt, Gabriele Zimmer and Sylvia-Yvonne Kaufmann
on behalf of the GUE/NGL Group
on the elections in Belarus

B6‑0246/2006

European Parliament resolution on the elections in Belarus

The European Parliament,

–  having regard to its previous resolutions on Belarus,

–  having regard to the results of the presidential elections on 19 March 2006,

–  having regard to the assessment by the International Election Observation Mission of the election process,

–  having regard to the statement by the European Council on the presidential elections in Belarus,

–  having regard to the Council statement of 3 February 2006 on relations with Belarus,

–  having regard to the Istanbul summit declaration made by the OSCE in 1999,

–  having regard to Rule 103(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

A.  welcoming the OSCE and European Council statements on the presidential elections in Belarus,

B.  whereas the International Election Observation Mission concluded that the presidential elections did not meet OSCE commitments for democratic elections or international electoral standards,

C.  whereas the election campaign was not conducted in a transparent and fair manner, owing especially to the limited information on candidates, the lack of debate on political issues, and obstacles and limited access for opposition candidates to the media,

D.  noting the demonstrations held in protest against the undemocratic nature of the elections,

E.  shocked at the number of instances of opposition candidates, opposition campaign workers and journalists being intimidated, impeded, assaulted, detained and arrested,

F.  noting the discussions held at the European Council Spring Summit with regard to imposing sanctions on Belarus,

1.  Condemns the failure of the Belarus authorities to meet their commitment to fair, transparent and democratic elections;

2.  Condemns the massive wave of arrests of opposition leaders and of nearly 500 of their supporters, the crackdown on the independent media and NGOs and the restricting of the rights of independent and democratic candidates; calls for the immediate release of all political prisoners;

3.  Calls on the Belarus authorities to guarantee freedom of expression, freedom of association and freedom of the media, as well as all other human rights:

4.  Deeply deplores the refusal to admit observers from the European Parliament;

5.  Criticises the appointment of members of the Central Commission for Elections and National Referenda in a way that resulted in significant state control over the election administration and in the exclusion of opposition parties;

6.  Takes note of several shortcomings at the vote counting stage, which was problematic and lacked transparency, with the majority of observers being prevented from attending polling stations and a number of results being altered on the election protocols;

7.  Expresses its staunch solidarity with civil society in Belarus, which wants to restore democratic rights and political freedom, and reaffirms its conviction that the democratisation of Belarusian society is urgently needed and is a precondition for the development of relations between the EU and Belarus;

8.  Demands that the fight for respect for human rights and democracy should be the priority in relations with all countries where human rights are being violated, regardless of whether the EU or its Member States have political and economic interests there or not;

9.  Expresses its concern that the sanctions against Belarus which are under discussion would have negative consequences for the citizens of Belarus;

10.  Calls on the European Council to apply the same demands as regards the administration of elections to all countries,

11.  Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission and the Council, the Belarus Parliament and authorities and the Parliamentary Assembly of the OSCE.