[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 673 Introduced in House (IH)]







109th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 673

  Expressing support for the efforts of the people of the Republic of 
Belarus to establish a full democracy, the rule of law, and respect for 
human rights and urging the Government of Belarus to conduct a free and 
             fair presidential election on March 19, 2006.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 14, 2006

  Mr. Shimkus (for himself and Mr. Gallegly) submitted the following 
   resolution; which was referred to the Committee on International 
                               Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
  Expressing support for the efforts of the people of the Republic of 
Belarus to establish a full democracy, the rule of law, and respect for 
human rights and urging the Government of Belarus to conduct a free and 
             fair presidential election on March 19, 2006.

Whereas the establishment of a democratic, transparent, and fair election 
        process for the 2006 presidential election in the Republic of Belarus 
        and of a genuinely democratic political system are prerequisites for 
        that country's integration into the Western community of nations;
Whereas the Government of Belarus has accepted numerous specific commitments 
        governing the conduct of elections as a participating State of the 
        Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), including 
        provisions of the 1990 Copenhagen Document;
Whereas these commitments, which encourage transparency, balance, and 
        impartiality in an election process, have become the standard by which 
        observers determine whether elections have been conducted freely and 
        fairly;
Whereas the election on March 19, 2006, of the next president of Belarus will 
        provide an unambiguous test of the extent of the commitment of the 
        Belarusian authorities to implement these standards and build a 
        democratic society based on free elections and the rule of law;
Whereas previous elections in Belarus have not met international standards;
Whereas the 2004 vote on the constitutional referendum in Belarus did not meet 
        international standards;
Whereas it is the duty of government and public authorities at all levels to act 
        in a manner consistent with all laws and regulations governing election 
        procedures and to ensure free and fair elections throughout the entire 
        country, including preventing activities aimed at undermining the free 
        exercise of political rights;
Whereas a genuinely free and fair election requires a period of political 
        campaigning conducted in an environment in which neither administrative 
        action nor violence, intimidation, or detention hinder the parties, 
        political associations, and the candidates from presenting their views 
        and qualifications to the citizenry, including organizing supporters, 
        conducting public meetings and events throughout the country, and 
        enjoying unimpeded access to television, radio, print, and Internet 
        media on an equal basis;
Whereas a genuinely free and fair election requires that citizens be guaranteed 
        the right and effective opportunity to exercise their civil and 
        political rights, including the right to vote free from intimidation, 
        threats of political retribution, or other forms of coercion by national 
        or local authorities or others;
Whereas a genuinely free and fair election requires the full transparency of 
        laws and regulations governing elections, multiparty representation on 
        election commissions, and unobstructed access by candidates, political 
        parties, and domestic and international observers to all election 
        procedures, including voting and vote-counting in all areas of the 
        country;
Whereas control and manipulation of the media by national and local officials 
        and others acting at their behest could raise grave concerns regarding 
        the commitment of the Belarusian authorities to free and fair elections;
Whereas efforts by national and local officials and others acting at their 
        behest to impose obstacles to free assembly, free speech, and a free and 
        fair political campaign will call into question the fairness of the 
        upcoming election in Belarus; and
Whereas the arrest or intimidation of opposition political parties and 
        candidates, such as the leader of the Unified Democratic Forces and 
        other people involved with the opposition, represents a deliberate 
        assault on the democratic process: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) looks forward to the development of cordial relations 
        between the United States and the Republic of Belarus;
            (2) emphasizes that a precondition for the integration of 
        Belarus into the Western community of nations is its 
        establishment of a genuinely democratic political system;
            (3) expresses its strong and continuing support for the 
        efforts of the Belarusian people to establish a full democracy, 
        the rule of law, and respect for human rights in Belarus;
            (4) urges the Government of Belarus to guarantee freedom of 
        association and assembly, including the right of candidates, 
        members of political parties, and others to freely assemble, to 
        organize and conduct public events, and to exercise these and 
        other rights free from intimidation or harassment by national 
        or local officials or others acting at their behest;
            (5) urges the Government of Belarus to meet its 
        Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) 
        standards and commitments on democratic elections, including 
        the standards on free and fair elections as defined in the 1990 
        Copenhagen Document;
            (6) urges the Belarusian authorities to ensure--
                    (A) the full transparency of election procedures 
                before, during, and after the 2006 presidential 
                election;
                    (B) unobstructed access by election monitors from 
                the Office of Democratic Institutions and Human Rights 
                (ODIHR), other participating States of the OSCE, 
                Belarusian political parties, candidates' 
                representatives, nongovernmental organizations, and 
                other private institutions and organizations--both 
                foreign and domestic--to all aspects of the election 
                process, including unimpeded access to public campaign 
                events, candidates, news media, voting, and post-
                election tabulation of results and processing of 
                election challenges and complaints;
                    (C) multiparty representation on all election 
                commissions;
                    (D) unimpeded access by all parties and candidates 
                to print, radio, television, and Internet media on a 
                non-discriminatory basis;
                    (E) freedom of candidates, members of opposition 
                parties, and independent media organizations from 
                intimidation or harassment by government officials at 
                all levels via selective tax audits and other 
                regulatory and bureaucratic procedures, and in the case 
                of media, license revocations and libel suits, among 
                other measures;
                    (F) a transparent process for complaint and appeals 
                through electoral commissions and within the court 
                system that provides timely and effective remedies; and
                    (G) vigorous prosecution of any individual or 
                organization responsible for violations of election 
                laws or regulations, including the application of 
                appropriate administrative or criminal penalties;
            (7) encourages the international community, including the 
        Council of Europe, the OSCE, and the OSCE Parliamentary 
        Assembly, to continue their efforts to support democracy in 
        Belarus and urges countries such as Lithuania and other Baltic 
        countries and Nordic countries to continue to provide 
        assistance to nongovernmental organizations and other 
        Belarusian organizations involved in promoting democracy and 
        fair elections in Belarus; and
            (8) pledges its support to the Belarusian people, their 
        commitment to a fully free and open democratic system, their 
        creation of a prosperous free market economy, and their 
        country's assumption of its rightful place as a full and equal 
        member of the Western community of democracies.
                                 <all>