The presidency of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) on Monday proposed mediation to the government of Belarus in order to establish an "open and constructive dialogue", according to a statement. "An official offer to visit by the current OSCE Chairman, the Prime Minister of Albania, Edi Rama (...) has been submitted to the government in order to meet him and the representatives of the opposition" , the organization, based in Vienna, Austria, said on its website.
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“We reiterate our concerns about the conduct of the presidential election of August 9, 2020, which could not be observed by the OSCE, as well as about the disproportionate use of force against peaceful demonstrators, widespread detentions and allegations of torture by security forces , ” added the OSCE. At least 5,000 people demonstrated in the evening in Minsk, the capital, to shouts of "Go away!" addressed to the Head of State, Alexander Lukashenko, in power since 1994 and re-elected for a sixth term with 80% of the votes in a highly contested presidential election on August 9.
The opposition demands that power be transferred to its leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaïa, a refugee in Lithuania. She said Monday she was ready to "assume her responsibilities". Germany said Monday that it should return to the OSCE "to play an important role" , sending a mediation mission "to verify the results of the election" , according to spokesman for Chancellor Angela Merkel. Britain also demanded Monday through the voice of the head of the British diplomacy Dominic Raab "an independent investigation of the OSCE in urgency". OSCE observers were not present on the day of the presidential election in Belarus, a first since 2001, because they were not invited in time.
The OSCE is an international organization created in the 1970s to improve dialogue between East and West during the Cold War. It deploys observers at each national election in the 57 participating states covering all of Europe, the former Soviet space republics, but also the United States and Canada. The annual OSCE Chairmanship is currently held by Albania.