As the Final Report of its 2004 mission to observe the Belarusian parliamentary elections clearly stated, the vote “fell significantly short of OSCE commitments.” Similarly, the 2004 referendum to eliminate term limits on the presidency “took place with unrestrained Government bias in favor of the referendum,” and without “the conditions, particularly freedom of expression and freedom of the media, to ensure that the will of the people serves as the basis of government authority.”