After the date for the presidential elections in Belarus was set today, Markus Löning, Federal Government Commissioner for Human Rights Policy and Humanitarian Aid at the Federal Foreign Office, issued the following statement:

“I call upon the Belarusian President to comply with international standards during the presidential elections. This includes permitting political parties to operate, media access for all candidates, the inclusion of representatives of the opposition in the election commissions and transparent vote counting.

I expect the leadership in Minsk to allow election observation by the OSCE, also on a long-term basis.

Europe will follow the election process very attentively.”

The Belarusian parliament voted today to hold the presidential elections on 19 December 2010.