Belarus parliament elections

MINSK, 12 September (BelTA) – The parliamentary elections held in Belarus demonstrated high transparency and democracy, BelTA learned from Sergei Lebedev, Chairman of the CIS Executive Committee, CIS Executive Secretary, head of the CIS observer mission during the parliamentary elections in Belarus, on 12 September.

Sergei Lebedev said: “According to observers from the CIS states, these elections demonstrated high openness, strong democracy and great transparency in addition to good organization.”

In his words, the elections testify to how the election system is evolving and how views of voters not only in Belarus but the entire CIS space are changing. “All of us are learning. We accrue experience as organizers of the voting process and as voters,” he added. “The elections that have taken place in Belarus convinced us that voters are now smarter, more cautious, they no longer trust populist statements the way they did in the 1990s. Voters carefully examine what candidates have to offer and make their choice depending on that.”

According to Sergei Lebedev, the new parliament will include worthy people. “Most of them have a university degree and long life experience as well as professional experience. The fact indicates that the nation of Belarus has made the right choice,” he said.

The CIS mission included 334 observers from nine countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States. “We carried out our mission while observing Belarusian laws, in a good-natured manner without interfering with domestic affairs and the election process of Belarus. We had to objectively evaluate preparations for the elections, progress of the election campaign and drop some friendly hints to the election organizers if there were any shortcomings,” concluded Sergei Lebedev.