MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on elections in Belarus
17.10.2012 - (2012/2815(RSP))
pursuant to Rule 110(2) of the Rules of Procedure
Charles Tannock, Marek Henryk Migalski, Ryszard Antoni Legutko, Ryszard Czarnecki, Tomasz Piotr Poręba on behalf of the ECR Group
See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B7-0463/2012
The European Parliament,
– having regard to its previous resolutions on Belarus, in particular those of 5 July 2012, 29 March 2012, 14 February 2012, 15 September 2011, 12 May 2011, 10 March 2011, 20 January 2011, 10 March 2010 and 17 December 2009,
– having regard to the OSCE/ODIHR Interim Report highlighting the pre-election situation in Belarus,
– having regard to the OSCE/ODIHR Statement of Preliminary Findings and Conclusions after Parliamentary Elections in Belarus on 23 September 2012,
– having regard to the ‘Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections’ campaign preliminary report on Parliamentary Elections in Belarus on 23 September 2012,
– having regard to Rule 110(2) of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas in Belarus under the Lukashenko regime there is insufficient confidence in the rule of law, democracy and fundamental freedoms, and the electoral processes clearly do not meet internationally recognised standards; whereas no elections in Belarus were deemed free and fair since 1995;
B. whereas the OSCE/ODIHR pre-election report and information from Belarusian opposition organisations provided sufficient evidence to conclude before election day that the parliamentary elections in Belarus would not be free and fair; whereas many OSCE commitments such as the citizens’ rights to associate, to stand as candidates and to freely express their will were not respected;
C. whereas the parliamentary campaign environment was surrounded by an atmosphere of political repression and persecution of opposition candidates, and the elections were marked by violations of the principles of democratic and fair elections;
D. whereas prominent opposition political figures are still in prison, including Ales Bialiatski, Mikola Statkevich and Dmitry Dashkevich, who could have played a significant role in the election campaign;
E. whereas a large number of opposition candidates were denied registration, including Alyaksandr Milinkevich, the leader of the ‘For Freedom’ movement, and Mikhail Paskhievitsh, representative of the ‘Tell the Truth’ movement;
F. whereas the parliamentary campaign in Belarus was not considered as competitive and fair from its very beginning; whereas the access to public radio and television was restricted, opposition broadcasts were censored, and videos with calls for a boycott were not allowed to be published; whereas human rights organisations reported the arrest and detention of some of opposition activists;
G. whereas the opposition had almost no possibility to nominate their representatives for membership in the election committees, and constituted only 1 % of their members on election day, which automatically reduced the potential for independent monitoring of the vote;
H. whereas 37 % of polling stations were not monitored during election day, which led directly to a lack of neutrality and impartiality of the elections; whereas a number of students and employees of state-owned companies were forced to take part in early voting;
I. whereas according to observers’ testimonies, and following official results of the elections, the voter turnout was falsified and inflated by electoral committees in order to meet the conditions of the elections’ validity;
J. whereas the European institutions apply sanctions against Belarus in the form of travel bans and an assets freeze; whereas direct sanctions against particular persons are an effective way to punish those who benefit from supporting the Lukashenko regime;
K. whereas two Belarusian Round Tables took place (on 24 September in Warsaw and on 17 October in Brussels) with the participation of a broad spectrum of opposition activists;
L. whereas the Belarusian authorities signed the Prague Declaration of the Eastern Partnership Summit, in which all undersigned have committed themselves to ‘the principles of international law and to fundamental values, including democracy, the rule of law and the respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms’;
1. Recognises the parliamentary elections held in Belarus on 23 September 2012 as not free and not fair; regrets that the Belarusian authorities have once again failed to use this opportunity to provide a transparent and free choice for Belarusian citizens;
2. Calls on the Belarusian authorities to ensure respect for democracy, human rights and fundamental freedoms, in accordance with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and with international human rights instruments ratified by Belarus;
3. Urges the Belarusian President and government to provide electoral legislation in line with international standards, and conduct new free and fair parliamentary and presidential elections;
4. Strongly condemns the continuous harassment and detention of democratic opposition activists by the Lukashenko regime, and reiterates its call on the Belarusian authorities to release all political prisoners immediately and unconditionally;
5. Strongly condemns all violations of the freedom of expression and the freedom of association conducted by the Belarusian authorities; stresses that the right to free expression and association are the foundations for an independent and open society;
6. Calls on the European Commission to support initiatives aimed at developing Belarusian civil society, which could result in increasing citizens’ political participation, and raise awareness of the need for change; calls for the creation of a consistent and long-term programme of support and strengthening of Belarusian opposition organisations, and to offer and expand the dialogue with Belarusian civil society; believes that the attempt to empower Belarusian citizens is a vital milestone and the most effective way towards democracy and rule of law in Belarus;
7. Calls on European institutions to broaden direct sanctions against supporters of the Lukashenko regime, including politicians and businessmen; feels that targeted sanctions such as the EU travel ban or assets freeze have a real and measurable effect on those who have helped and supported the persecution of opposition members and civil society activists;
8. Calls on European institutions to use the findings of the Belarusian Round Table, held in the European Parliament, to reach a deep and comprehensive assessment of the current situation of the opposition, and possible future scenarios in Belarus;
9. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Vice-President of the Commission/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, to the Commission, to the Council, to the Council of Europe and to the Parliament and Government of Belarus.