Elections in Belarus will be held in an open and honest manner

The President of Belarus, Aleksandr Lukashenko, discussed the preparations for the 2024 election campaign at a meeting with CEC Chairman Igor Karpenko

CEC Chairman Igor Karpenko
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“The elections are round the corner. There are a lot of novelties, especially in terms of the Belarusian People’s Congress. The matter is about the parliamentary elections and the corresponding presidential decree. I have read the materials that you have submitted. There are no remarks on any of the issues. Especially about the need to issue a decree. Today, I will instruct the President Administration to take a sit down with you and work out (together with the government) the best the time frame for adopting this decree,” the Head of State noted.

The President also added, “I think your proposal in this regard is reasonable. A lot of people were involved in working it out. You thought it through before submitting. Therefore, the issue of the decree on elections is not a problem. Consider it resolved.”
Another item that was discussed during the working meeting with the Head of State was the interaction with state bodies in the preparation and conduct of the election campaign.
“This is a good proposal. Nothing should be discarded. We have extensive experience and practice in holding elections in terms of involving government bodies and other state institutions. Everything is at your disposal. You are responsible for the organisation. All government bodies and structures, me included, will help you implement the plan that we have agreed together. A single voting day is a new thing. We elect all councils vertically. Therefore, there will be a lot of work. We will carry out this work on time… As for information support, we also have a lot of experience. But there are a lot of new things. We need to use the internet and to create new content, as you suggest. We need to do it to make it convenient for people,” the Belarusian leader said.
The President suggested getting down to this work, starting from inviting voters, including sending text messages.
The Head of State touched upon the issue of inviting observers to the upcoming elections in 2024, 

“The entities that invite observers are determined by law. We have nothing to hide. When the time comes, when we deem it necessary, we will invite observers. So that we are not reproached for holding elections like in the United States where people are shot after elections, where voting by mail is allowed and so on. There are a lot of falsifications there. This is all evident today. We must hold the elections in an honest way.”

Aleksandr Lukashenko stressed that Belarus has nothing to hide. 
“About 80 percent unequivocally support the policy that we have determined today. What should we be afraid of? Well, we will fight for the 20 percent that are hesitating or who are against. I say this as the President,” the Head of State said.
Aleksandr Lukashenko touched on the Belarusian People’s Congress, a body that, following the referendum, has acquired a constitutional status in Belarus.
“We are laying a certain foundation in this matter. We are gaining experience. We must be very attentive to this. A lot has been defined in the Constitution and in the laws: numbers, elections, nominations, and so on. There is no controversy here. We need to hold the elections to the Belarusian People’s Congress in an open and honest manner. 

There will be different people in the Belarusian People’s Congress. Its members will have all kinds of opinion, but there will be no enemies there. We don’t need enemies. Neither does our society. The points of view must be different so that we make the right decision,” the President explained.

Summing up, Aleksandr Lukashenko emphasised, “Having read your report and proposals, I, for example, do not see any other approaches. We need to start this work now.”
CEC Chairman Igor Karpenko informed the President in detail about the preparations for next year’s electoral campaigns.
After the report, in a conversation with journalists, Igor Karpenko recalled that a serious campaign was ahead in 2024. In particular, the single voting day will be held on February 25th. CEC Chairman told, “Serious work has been done to introduce amendments and additions to the electoral legislation on the basis of the changes that were made to the Constitution. Many new laws have been introduced. Such as about the Belarusian People’s Congress, about the foundations of civil society. All this, of course, left its mark on the functioning of the electoral system in the new conditions, in new realities, in the new legal framework that was laid down.”
According to Igor Karpenko, in general, the President agreed with the voiced approaches, “In particular, we agreed that sometime in November we will submit a draft decree of the Head of State on holding elections on a single voting day. But before signing this decree, we will carry out a number of procedures that are provided for by the electoral legislation. In particular, before September 1st, together with the territories, we will have to determine the number of voters and the number of constituencies for the election of deputies to local councils. Before October 1st, we will have to form constituencies for the election of deputies of the House of Representatives. Before November 1st, we will have to form constituencies for the election of deputies of local councils.”
Igor Karpenko concluded, “In general, the President approved the approaches. Including at the invitation of international observers, to conduct a unified information policy and to ensure security during the election campaign.”