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Canada concerned over conduct of Belarus elections

The Government of Canada has expressed deep concern regarding the conduct of Belarus’s September 23-28 House of Representatives elections.

In a statement issued on October 1, the Canadian foreign ministry notes that international observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) concluded that Belarus had not met its OSCE commitments to hold fully democratic elections, and that among the issues cited by the OSCE were lack of transparency of the vote count and falsification of results.

“The observers’ findings are particularly disappointing in light of signs of democratic progress leading up to the election, including the release of high-profile political prisoners, and minor improvements in the electoral process,” the statement says.

In response to Belarus’s undemocratic presidential election in March 2006, Canada has restricted official contact and trade with the country.