MINSK, 12 September (BelTA) – Some 446 applications have been submitted for registration of initiative groups to collect signatures in support for candidates to a new Belarusian parliament. A total of 350 groups have been registered, Chairwoman of the Central Election Commission (CEC) of Belarus Lidia Yermoshina told the media on 12 September, BelTA has learned.
A total of 120 applications to register initiative groups were submitted in Minsk, 73 in Minsk Oblast, 59 in Mogilev Oblast, 54 in Brest Oblast, 49 in Vitebsk Oblast, 47 in Gomel Oblast, and 44 in Grodno Oblast. “If these candidates collect the necessary number of signatures, then we we will see a a variety of choices in the upcoming parliamentary elections,” Lidia Yermoshina said.
In her words, one candidate has already been registered. He will be runnign for a seat in the parliament in Vitebsk-Gorkovsky constituency No.17.
The CEC head did not make any predictions regarding the competition at this year's parliamentary elections. “I would like to see many candidates running to avoid no-alternative constituencies,” Lidia Yermoshina said. She added that there was an average of 4.5 candidates per seat during the 2016 parliamentary elections.