MINSK, 22 January (BelTA) – The turnout in the elections to the local councils of deputies may exceed 60%, Chairperson of Belarus' Central Election Commission Lidia Yermoshina said at an online press conference at BelTA.
“I think that countrywide the turnout may exceed 60% due to the fact that we have such an institution as early voting,” Lidia Yermoshina said. There is no turnout threshold at the local elections in Belarus, she reminded. “They will be recognized valid with any turnout, even if one person comes to the polls. But I think that we cannot bring the situation to the point of absurdity. The government with less than 20% support of the electorate cannot be generally considered government. I think that more than 60% is a real turnout figure for these elections,” she said.
She added that the image of young candidates is attractive to voters. Lidia Yermoshina believes that participation of young candidates in the electoral race will have a positive effect on voter turnout from among their peers.
At the moment, 1,169 young people under 30 have been registered to the run in the local elections in Belarus. This makes up 5.25% of the total number of the candidates during the current election campaign.
