Belarus vote "significantly short' of democratic standards

MINSK (AFP) - Weekend legislative elections in Belarus fell "significantly short" of democratic standards, international observers said here.
"The 17 October parliamentary elections in Belarus fell significanly short of OSCE commitments for democratic elections," the Organization for Security and Cooperation said in a statement.
"The Belarusian authorities failed to ensure the fundamental conditions necessary for the will of the people to serve a basis for authority of government," the statement said.
The OSCE said it had been mandated to observe only the legislative elections which were held at the same time as a referendum pushed by President Alexander Lukashenko to change the constitution so he could run for a third term in 2006.
"Its unrestrained bias and its unregulated intrusion into polling stations contributed to a highly distorted campaign environment," the OSCE said of the constitutional referendum.