Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko met with Belarus’ CEC Chairman Igor Karpenko to discuss the preparations for the 2024 election campaign, BelTA has learned.
Belarus will hold its first ever single voting day in 2024. The campaign will feature the elections to the Parliament and local councils of various levels. A single voting day is envisaged in the updated Constitution. This is the last Sunday in February. Thus, the first single voting day will take place on 25 February 2024.
Another new thing is the formation of the Belarusian People's Congress. The Constitution stipulates that after a single voting day, the Belarusian People's Assembly should convene for its first meeting no later than 60 days. Thus, the last day to start the meeting of the Belarusian People's Congress is 25 April.
Preparation of the president's decree
"The elections are round the corner. There are a lot of novelties, especially in terms of the Belarusian People's Congress. The matter is about the parliamentary elections and the corresponding presidential decree. I have read the materials that you have submitted. There are no remarks on any of the issues. Especially about the need to issue a decree. Today, I will instruct the President Administration to take a sit down with you and work out (together with the government) the best the time frame for adopting this decree,” the head of state noted.
“I think your proposal in this regard is reasonable. A lot of people were involved in working it out. You thought it through before submitting. Therefore, the issue of the decree on elections is not a problem. Consider it resolved," Aleksandr Lukashenko said.
Interaction with government agencies
Another item that was discussed during the working meeting with the head of state was the interaction with state bodies in the preparation and conduct of the election campaign.
"This is a good proposal. Nothing should be discarded. We have extensive experience and practice in holding elections in terms of involving government bodies and other state institutions. Everything is at your disposal. You are responsible for the organization. All government bodies and structures, me inlcuded, will help you implement the plan that we have agreed together," the Belarusian leader said.
"A single voting day is a new thing. We elect all councils vertically. Therefore, there will be a lot of work. We will carry out this work on time," the president said.
Information support
"As for information support, we also have a lot of experience. But there are a lot of new things. We need to use the internet and to create new content, as you suggest. We need to do it to make it convenient for people," Aleksandr Lukashenko said.
He suggested getting down to this work, starting from inviting voters, including sending text messages.
Fair elections and observers
The head of state touched upon the issue of inviting observers to the upcoming elections in 2024. "The entities that invite observers are determined by law. We have nothing to hide. When the time comes, when we deem it necessary, we will invite observers. So that we are not reproached for holding elections like in the United States where people are shot after elections, where voting by mail is allowed and so on. There are a lot of falsifications there. This is all evident today. We must hold the elections in an honest way," the president said.
Aleksandr Lukashenko stressed that Belarus has nothing to hide. "About 80% unequivocally support the policy that we have determined today. What should we be afraid of? Well, we will fight for the 20% that are hesitating or who are against. I say this as president," the head of state said.
Belarusian People's Assembly
The head of state touched on the Belarusian People's Assembly, a body that, following the referendum, has acquired a constitutional status in Belarus.
"We are laying a certain foundation in this matter. We are gaining experience. We must be very attentive to this. A lot has been defined in the Constitution and in the laws: numbers, elections, nominations, and so on. There is no controversy here. We need to hold the elections to the Belarusian People's Congress in an open and honest manner,” the head of state said. “Its members will have all kinds of opinion but there will be no enemies there. We don't need enemies. Neither does our society. The points of view must be different so that we make the right decision."
Summing up, Aleksandr Lukashenko said: "Having read your report and proposals, I, for example, do not see any other approaches. We need to start this work now."
