Head of CIS observation mission: elections in Belarus to be held for its people, not for Europe or the US

In Belarus, elections are held for its citizens, rather than for Europe or the United States, so the OSCE conclusion is not the ultimate truth – as noted by Leonid Anfimov, the CIS Deputy Secretary General who heads the CIS observation mission headquarters

In his talk with the STV TV channel, Mr. Anfimov said that it had been decided not to invite OSCE observers who ‘were in special love’ with Belarus. He also commented of how that decision would affect the image of the 2024 election campaign, “If there are observation missions of the CIS and the SCO, is there are observers who have come at the invitation of the Central Election Commission of Belarus, then the conclusion will be probably extremely objective on how democratic and free these elections are, and whether the citizens’ will is ensured.”

Mr. Anfimov added, “There will be no OSCE, so what? Is its conclusion the ultimate truth for us? After all, we are holding elections in our country not for Europe, not for the United States. We are organising them for ourselves, for our people. We are electing a representative and legislative authority that will defend the interests of the country and its people, including in the international arena. I think that the country's Parliament will be recognised as legitimate without the OSCE observervation mission.”