Lukashenko names main criteria for holding elections in Belarus

Elections should first of all comply with national legislation, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said as he met with the heads of the CIS election bodies on 19 September, BelTA has learned.

“We need to study global practices. Yet it is unlikely that they will come in handy, as we have probably studied everything already and made the necessary decisions at home. It is important to develop our own standards, and the key thing here is not whether or not we follow some principles and concepts imposed by the OSCE or some other organizations, but whether our own laws and by-laws comply with the Constitution and whether the elections will comply with the legislation effective in our countries. This is the main thing,” Aleksandr Lukashenko emphasized.

The head of state recalled that a presidential election campaign will soon kick off in Belarus, and the country sticks to the principles he voiced. “The Belarusian people must take it upon themselves, without any pressure, to decide who will run the country,” the president said.

“We need to develop our own standard. And the main standard is compliance of elections with the law,” said Aleksandr Lukashenko.