MINSK, 4 September (BelTA) – About 400 observers will be sent by the Commonwealth of Independent States to monitor the forthcoming elections to the lower chamber of the Belarusian parliament, BelTA learned from Sergei Lebedev, Chairman of the CIS Executive Committee, CIS Executive Secretary.
The CIS observation mission will include representatives of all the CIS states. “We intend to send about 400 long-term and short-term observers,” Sergei Lebedev said.
“We are now busy getting long-term observers registered. They will start monitoring the election process virtually tomorrow and will visit all the regions of Belarus,” Sergei Lebedev said.
About 50 long-term observers will monitor the elections in Belarus. Those will be accredited diplomats from CIS states, representatives of the CIS Executive Committee, members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union State of Belarus and Russia. Later on the mission will be expanded with MPs from CIS states, representatives of the CIS Inter-Parliamentary Assembly, and representatives of national election organization agencies.
“Those are experienced, mature people, representatives of important bodies of the CIS states,” Sergei Lebedev stressed. In his words, the mission will focus on detecting shortcomings and helping fix them as soon as possible in addition to contributing to the openness and democratic nature of the election process.
Chairwoman of the Central Election Commission (CEC) of Belarus Lidia Yermoshina presented an international observer certificate to Sergei Lebedev on 4 September. Lidia Yermoshina stressed that the election campaign proceeds calmly, all the events are organized in line with the schedule. The establishment of constituency election commissions and territorial ones – 110 and 7 respectively – was finished on 2 September. Public associations and political parties represent over 72% of the people on the election commissions.
The constituency election commissions have already started working. They can accept applications for the registration of initiative groups for collecting signatures to nominate parliamentary candidates. The nomination of candidates will begin on 8 September and will last for a month.
Elections to the lower chamber of the Belarusian parliament are scheduled for 17 November, with elections to the upper chamber scheduled for 7 November.
