Aug. 13, 2004 BELARUS INVITES OSCE MONITORS FOR PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS
The Belarusian government on 12 August sent a letter to the OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) inviting its representatives to monitor Belarus' parliamentary elections scheduled for 17 October, Belapan reported, citing Belarusian Foreign Ministry spokesman Andrey Savinykh. Savinykh said the decision to invite ODIHR observers shows Belarus' "firm determination to hold open, free, and democratic elections." Heidi Smith, spokeswoman for the OSCE's office in Minsk, told BelaPAN that ODIHR observers will start monitoring the election campaign on 1 September.
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