MINSK, February 12. /TASS/. The presence of international observers at elections in Belarus is not of principal importance, chairman of the Belarusian Central Election Commission (CEC) Igor Karpenko said on Sunday.
"We have myth of super-exclusiveness of the assessment of the elections by the ODIHR (OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights - TASS) mission. But, to have a closer look, there is no common document passed by all the member nations, heads of state, ratified by all member countries of the organization, of which we are members as well. It issues only guidelines, different for each particular election campaign. That is why it is not of principal importance how many international observers arrive," he said in an interview with the ONT television channel when asked about possible presence of OSCE observers at the February elections.
When asked the same question in October 2022, Karpenko that the Central Election Commission was ready to accredit OSCE observers at the elections if they were invited in the country. He recalled that the Electoral Code "clearly names all who can invite foreign observers." They are the president, the government, both houses of Belarus’ parliament, the foreign ministry, and the CEC, he cited.
Voting at Belarus’ parliamentary and local elections will take place on February 25, 2024. Belarusians will elect 110 members of the House of Representatives, or the lower parliament house, and more than 18,000 members of local legislatures. The All-Belarus People’s Assembly, with newly elected lawmakers among its members, will begin to work not later than 60 days after the voting day.