MINSK, 18 November (BelTA) – The OSCE still demonstrates a politicized approach to the assessment of the parliamentary elections in Belarus, diplomat Andrei Savinykh, who has been elected member of the House of Representatives, told BelTA.
When asked to comment on the assessment voiced by Head of the OSCE short-term observer mission Margaret Cederfelt, Andrei Savinykh said: “This is not the first assessment of this kind that Belarus has received from the OSCE. Unfortunately, we still see a politicized approach, driven by the desire to use the elections as a lever to put pressure on Belarus in the context of determining our foreign policy priorities.”
Andrei Savinykh added that he did not mean that all the OSCE member states have such a position. “Rather, these are traditional and significantly outdated approaches of a number of Western countries. We are convinced that in today's environment the rejection of political cliches will bring more results,” he said.
As for the personal assessment of the election process, the diplomat noted that, as a candidate for parliament, he saw the election campaign from the inside, and said that it was impossible to interfere in it in any way. “The popularity of a candidate relies on his/her program, the ability to talk to people, to feel the problems and meet their expectations,” Andrei Savinykh said.
