Presidential election 2015 in Belarus

MINSK, 6 August (BelTA) – Potential candidates for the office of the Belarus president should be more actively represented. Chairwoman of the Central Election Commission (CEC) of Belarus Lidia Yermoshina made the relevant statement after the CEC session that dealt with preparations for and the actual forthcoming presidential election on 6 August, BelTA has learned.

The head of Belarus’ CEC said: “Potential candidates should more often speak up in public about how many [signatures in support of their nomination] they have collected, what difficulties they encounter.”

In her words, during the current election campaign presidential candidates will be able to enjoy free TV and radio air for a month. “The ability to remind about themselves — first on TV and then on radio — is a great boon,” said Lidia Yermoshina. The official also pointed out that this time the TV debates will take place closer to the start of the early voting.

If more than five candidates turn up for the TV debates, more air time will be allocated. “In the past presidential candidates were given one hour on the air regardless of their number. This is why I believe that all the opportunities will increase the presence of candidates on the air and for free at that,” concluded Lidia Yermoshina.