OSCE representatives will not observe the presidential elections due to the conditions set by Lithuania

newsin 2024 May 8 08:36

Andriaus Ufartos / ELTA photo.

Migle ValonytėSource: ELTA

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Representatives of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) do not intend to observe the elections of the head of state in Lithuania due to the conditions set by the country – Vilnius does not want representatives of Russia and Belarus to observe the elections.

As announced by the “Delfi” portal, the organization announced on April 23 that the OSCE will not be able to monitor the elections of the country’s head in Lithuania.

According to the OSCE, this happened because the invitation to the organization’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights was granted with the condition that nationals of some OSCE countries would not be admitted.

MFA “Delfi” has confirmed that it has invited the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights and OSCE participating countries to observe this year’s elections in Lithuania, but with the condition that Russia and Belarus will not observe the elections.

“Lithuania, in compliance with its international obligations, invited the participating countries of the OSCE ODIHR and OSCE, except for the aggressor Russia and its proxy Belarus, to observe the elections that will be held in Lithuania this year,” the ministry said in its response and explained why it singled out these two countries.

“Russia’s attempts to interfere in the processes taking place in Lithuania, including the elections, its aggressive information attacks aimed at inciting fear and panic, disrupting the work of state institutions, promoting distrust in state decisions, as well as the intensive activities of Belarusian intelligence directed against Lithuania, pose threats for the national security of our country,” the ministry said in a comment transmitted by Delfi.

“We strongly condemn Russia’s attempts to organize its own “elections” in the occupied territories of Ukraine, Sakartvel, and Transnistria of Moldova. Both the regimes of the Kremlin and A. Lukashenka lack any democratic legitimacy,” noted the MFA.

According to the ministry, the invitation of the representatives of Russia and Belarus to observe the elections in Lithuania would be a mockery of democracy.

“Lithuania, by its example, demonstrates a principled stance in which it does not intend to give the appearance of legitimacy to aggressive dictatorship regimes and their representatives, to allow them to interfere and assess the internal affairs of democratic states, and at the same time calls on the OSCE to decide on the further membership of states that violate international law in the most flagrant ways, trample on human rights and carry out aggression against Ukraine issue in the organization”, summed up the MFA.

The result that the OSCE representatives will not observe the presidential elections in Lithuania at all was not evaluated by the ministry.

It is reminded that the presidential elections in Lithuania will be held on May 12.

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