Belarus parliament elections

MINSK, 6 September (BelTA) – The electoral campaign preceding the upcoming parliamentary polls in Belarus is open and transparent, Chairperson of the Central Election Commission (CEC) Lidia Yermoshina told reporters on 6 September, BelTA has learned.

“The head of state is glad that the elections are monitored so closely. Over 35,000 national observers have been accredited with the election commissions. Some 800 international observers already hold accreditation with the Central Election Commission, and we expect to welcome another 1,000 international observers. All this attests that the elections are open and transparent,” Lidia Yermoshina said.

The CEC head pointed out that Russia invited around 400 OSCE observers to monitor the upcoming elections. “We expect to receive the same number. This means that the density of international monitoring in Belarus will be much higher than in Russia, to say nothing of the United States which is also approaching a landmark presidential election. This is why we can say that our country meets major international standards aimed to guarantee effective election monitoring, the democratic nature of voting, and of course the transparency and credibility of the vote count,” Lidia Yermoshina noted.

She added that the current parliamentary polls are more active than the previous ones. The election campaigning strategies are more diverse, and the same can be said about the candidate pool. “The process involves many young people, which is good news, first of all, for the head of state and also for me as the head of the Central Election Commission,” Lidia Yermoshina added.