Belarus parliament elections

“The council is not authorized to make any binding decisions. This is an observation and consultative body facilitating CEC’s work,” CEC Chairperson Lidia Yermoshina noted.

She specified that initially it was planned that the body will operate only for one month during the period of pre-election campaigning. Now it has been decided to extend its operating period to make sure that there is no premature campaigning. “All the candidates to this body have been nominated by the Information Ministry,” Lidia Yermoshina added.

Belarusian Deputy Information Minister Igor Lutsky who has a vast experience in the mass media industry has been elected to chair the council. Igor Lutsky holds a degree in the application of information technologies in public administration, which is particularly relevant today, in the age of the Internet.

Sergei Sverkunov, Deputy Chairman of the Belarusian Union of Journalists, has been elected deputy chairman of the council. He was working in the mass media sector from 1967 till 2010. Yekaterina Dubinskaya, Director General of the Minsk Novosti news agency, has been chosen secretary of the council. The supervisory body also comprises First Deputy Director General of BelTA News Agency Oksana Kirilchik, First Deputy Editor-in-Chief of the SB. Belarus Segodnya newspaper Mikhail Lebedik, Chief Director of the First National Channel of Belarusian Radio Anton Vasyukevich, and Deputy Chairman of the Belarusian TV and Radio Company Marat Markov.

Lidia Yermoshina pointed out that if the Belarusian Association of Journalists submits an application to the CEC to include its members into the council, the application will be considered.