Belarus parliament elections

MINSK, 5 September (BelTA) – Almost 700 reporters have obtained accreditation to work at the information center of the 2016 Belarus parliamentary elections due on 11 September, Belarusian Information Minister Lilia Ananich said at a meeting of the working group on the establishment and operation of the Elections 2016 information center of the Central Election Commission on 5 September, BelTA has learned.

Lilia Ananich said that a total of 695 reporters from different countries have been accredited to cover the elections. Some 800 logins and passwords for free Internet access have been generated, and working places have been arranged at the press center. The schedule of press conferences has been approved. The minister pointed out that the small conference hall of the information center will host two roundtable discussions. One will be devoted to parliamentarism and the mentality of the Belarusian society and the other to the role of mass media in the formation of electoral culture. Partaking in the discussions will be Belarusian and foreign experts.

The information center at the Palace of the Republic will be open from 9am on 11 September till 12.30pm on 12 September. The first press conference on the elections to the House of Representatives of the sixth convocation is scheduled for 10am.

As usual, the center will provide the latest updates on the election process, the voting, turnout and also the preliminary results. The information center will host video conferences with election commissions, press conferences with the participation of political scientists, international observers, and electoral law specialists. The information center will also host other events directly related to the election campaign. Press conferences will be held every two hours. The final press conference scheduled for 10.00 on 12 September will announce the preliminary results of the elections. On 12 September, the information center will also host a press conference with election observers from the Commonwealth of Independent States and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

Foreign observers will be allowed into the information center on presentation of a certificate issued by the Central Election Commission and an ID. Foreign reporters will be able to attend the events in the information center on presentation of an accreditation certificate issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and an ID. Belarusian reporters will have to present an accreditation certificate issued by the National Press Center and an ID.