Presidential election 2015 in Belarus

These are the Sociology Institute of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, the Information and Analysis Center under the Belarus President Administration, the Mogilev Institute of Regional Social and Political Studies, the Center for Social and Political Studies of the Belarusian State University, the youth laboratory of social studies of the Belarusian Committee of Youth Organizations, and the Institute for Comparative Social Studies Eurasian Barometer.

“Only these social research agencies are allowed to hold opinion polls related to the presidential election in Belarus and the social and political situation in the country,” the CEC website reads.

CEC Chairperson Lidia Yermoshina said earlier that exit polls are a traditional practice in Belarus. At the same time, the CEC itself does not commission exit polls and does not interfere in the process. “To conduct such surveys, one needs to get accredited with the commission formed by the Council of Ministers that is working at the National Academy of Sciences,” Lidia Yermoshina explained. The agencies wishing to hold exit polls should prove that their specialists have extensive knowledge of methods of opinion polling. Besides, the specialists are required to wear badges and have relevant documents with them.