MINSK, 13 December (BelTA) – Igor Karpenko, the newly appointed chairman of the Central Election Commission of Belarus, told reporters on 13 December that he intends to be as open as he was in his previous role as the education minister, BelTA has learned.
According to Igor Karpenko, he knows the electoral process firsthand, as in 2006, 2010 and 2015 he took an active part in election campaigns in various roles, for example, as the head the Minsk City Election Commission.
As the CEC head, Igor Karpenko will run a large-scale election campaign - a referendum on amendments to the Constitution. “We will need to arrange the work to formalize the amendments that will appear. For example, the CEC chairman may be elected in a different way than now. There may be other amendments that will require scrupulous study, including with the regions and all interested branches of power with a view to updating the electoral system accordingly,” he said. He views this work as demanding, serious and painstaking, and therefore he will be in contact with Lydia Yermoshina who led the Central Election Commission for a long time.
Speaking about the work style in the new capacity, Igor Karpenko said that he intends to be as open as he was in his previous role as the education minister, but, of course, within the framework allowed by law.
“As the education minister, I was quite open and absolutely reachable. I believe, I have never said ‘no' to any TV channel asking me for an interview. We tried to communicate the things that were happening. What will be different now [in the new position of the CEC chief]? The public nature of the CEC's work is obvious,” Igor Karpenko noted.
According to him, the new appointment came as something of a surprise for him, and for now he does not intend to completely depart from the education system. “I was born to be a teacher. I can see what is happening around me, I talk to people. The things that we started are meant to give a serious boost to the education system. Most importantly, we should not lose momentum,” he added.
