DZERZHINSK DISTRICT, 23 February (BelTA) – Observers from the CIS did not detect any violations during early voting, CIS Secretary General and head of the CIS observation mission at Belarus’ elections Sergei Lebedev said as he visited polling stations in Dzerzhinsk District of Minsk Oblast, BelTA has learned.
Sergei Lebedev recalled that observers from the CIS countries were dispatched to all regions of Belarus in order to get a broader picture of the early voting process and the elections in general. “The information flowing to our headquarters is encouraging, because the voting is smooth and well-organized. No violations of election legislation have been detected. All voters are given the opportunity to cast their ballot for the candidate who they think will represent them the best at the House of Representatives of Belarus,” he noted.
According to the head of the CIS election observation mission, polling stations are well arranged and members of precinct election commissions are well trained. “The vast majority of polling stations are conveniently located in schools, gymnasiums, community centers, universities and other buildings. All those involved in conducting elections, primarily members of precinct election commissions are well prepared and trained for the job. We asked them scenario-based questions to see how they would act in real-life situations, for example, if a voter is not on the voting list or forgot their identification documents. Everyone we asked gave a clear and correct answer. Good training of election commission members is one of the reasons why voting is proceeding well. A high turnout shows that Belarusian citizens do care about the elections and who will be elected. Early voting has not closed yet, but the average turnout in the country and in the Dzerzhinsk District polling station where we are stationed is already 23%,” emphasized Sergei Lebedev.
He believes that such a responsible attitude towards voting guarantees that no random people will get into the parliament of Belarus, that the elected MPs will be a fit for the job and will be able to achieve their program goals and make the country a better place, contribute to maintaining stability and improving living standards. Such goals were declared by most of the candidates in their program papers.
“We, observers from the CIS countries (there are more than 230 of us), sincerely wish our friends and partners to achieve these goals,” said Sergei Lebedev.
The head of the mission visited District Election Commission No.71, polling stations No.1 and No.2 in Dzerzhinsk, and also laid flowers at the memorial sign “In memory of the Belarusian partisan movement” in the village of Stankovo.
The CIS election observation mission began its work in Belarus on 22 January. The mission consists of experts and employees of the CIS Executive Committee, representatives of the CIS countries.
