Belarus parliament elections

Belarus president urges to keep down ‘pre-election noise’

KORELICHI, 20 September (BelTA) – Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko made a few comments about the election campaign while talking to employees of a flax plant in Korelichi, Grodno Oblast on 20 September, BelTA has learned.

One of the workers noted the current election campaign resembles a talk show in a manner of speaking. She wondered about Aleksandr Lukashenko’s attitude towards so-called pro-government potential candidates.

Aleksandr Lukashenko said: “We will proceed with the election campaign calmly and quietly as always. Despite the desire of some people to make it look like a show.”

In his words, some people believe, including people in the West, if an election campaign is noisy, it is democratic. “I believe you shouldn’t rock the country,” the head of state said.

Aleksandr Lukashenko remarked that, for instance, Russia can afford getting rocked for a certain period. “They may rock a bit but the pipeline keeps working meanwhile. The export of natural gas, oil, and gold goes on. We don’t have those. This is why we shouldn’t rock the country, swaying ourselves and getting others to sway. We have to do our job. Because if we rock for a year, the next two or three years will be lost,” Aleksandr Lukashenko stressed. He added he wants nothing bad to happen to Belarus, this is why he takes steps to prevent it from wobbling.

Speaking about the so-called pro-government potential candidates, Aleksandr Lukashenko remarked that he had never tried to hide there are people the government supports, including due to the need to form a parliament to represent all the population strata from the point of view of age and professional competence.

“The parliament has to pass laws. Those people have to understand what we pass. We don’t want loudmouths, who know nothing about life, in the parliament. What kind of laws will they pass? Certainly, I have to sign bills into laws and I will never pass a law that harms people. But everyone wants to divide everything, remodel something, and so on,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said. “We saw things like that when the USSR collapsed and the entire country was divided. I remember how much work had to be done to preserve and save this country. I don’t want emerging oligarchs and bureaucrats to split the country and give it away to their kids. This is why I say: no splitting the country on my watch.”

Yet the head of state stressed that although municipal government agencies support and suggest certain candidates, people will have to cast their votes and there should be no pressure in this regard. “You must not pressure people into backing pro-government candidates. If people don’t want to do it, you mustn’t pressure them. A candidate needs 1,000 signatures to get nominated. A political party or the workforce of an enterprise can nominate a candidate. But pressuring people into doing it is not an option. Because people will act against your will out of spite,” the president said.

“Everything should be pretty and decent. We need a working parliament instead of loudmouths,” Aleksandr Lukashenko concluded.

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