Lidia Yermoshina: presidential election in Belarus to take place no later than July 20, 2006 :: Charter'97 :: News

The forthcoming presidential election in Belarus will take place no later than July 20, 2005. The time framework is set by the Constitution: the election campaign should take place no later than two months prior to the expiry of the incumbent president’s term in office. The countdown started on September 20, 2001, the inauguration day, chairman of the central election commission of Belarus Lidia Yermoshina told BelTA. She added the commission considers to carry out presidential election strictly within the official schedule. The Chamber of Representatives of Belarus will set the final date for the election during the spring session. One of the first issues the deputies will discuss in the Oval Hall will be presidential election.

- Mrs. Yermoshina, summer is the best time to hold such a political campaign. Will there be a high turnout given summer holidays?

Certainly, the turnout will be a bit more modest. But I think the election will be validated. The necessary number of voters – 50 per cent – will come to polling stations. More so since polling stations will be placed in sanatoriums and recreation centers. The Belarusians will be able to vote even if they are recreating in their summer houses by coming to the nearest agricultural council. Besides, there is early election which starts five days prior to the main one. Summer is not the best period to hold election, of course. But the time framework is set by the Constitution and the election code rather than by the degree to which the election time “is or is not proper”.

- Who can run for the presidency in Belarus?

A candidate, first of all, should be a native of Belarus and citizen of this country and should be 35 or older. A candidate should collect no fewer than 100 thousand signatures in his favor and be a Belarusian resident for the recent 10 years. The referendum of October 17, 2004 showed the decision of the electorate to abolish the restriction which forbade a person to spend more than two presidential terms in office in a row. This means that the incumbent president is entitled to run for the presidency in 2006. The crucial challenge for the future candidates will be to collect signatures for it is rather difficult to get such a great number of them. I would like to remind that in 2001 only four out of 23 initiative groups managed to get through. The Belarusian electorate has become more exacting and serene in decision-making. In 1994 they willingly put signatures – it was a “novelty”, a “game”. Longing for the presidency the candidates are not bound to collect signatures strictly in districts, they can collect them anywhere – in the streets, railway stations, etc. But the response will not be significant in this case since rare citizens have passports with them all the time. The central election commission has every reason to believe there will be very few candidates for the presidency in the forthcoming election. Today there is no other policy maker in Belarus who stands out from the crowd than incumbent president Alexander Lukashenko – all the rest are some kind of vague shadows of politicians.

- How will the election campaign run? Do not you think that the incumbent president has more opportunities to communicate with voters than other presidential contenders?

- Mass media outlets have to cover state bodies’ activities and inform citizens about them. In the USA, in Russia as well as in this republic no one can restrict mass media in covering events. If you remember, in the course of the 2001 election campaign the Belarusian leader refused to appear on television. The election campaign will start a month prior to the voting day following registration of all candidates. All of them will be able to appear on television, and live on the radio and to publish their programs in one of the national newspapers.

- How will presidential candidates be financed?

- The state budget will give 2,300 base amounts to every candidate for his campaign, in particular for publishing leaflets. On the one hand the sum is not big; on the other hand – the election campaign should not be driven solely by money-power. In fact, everything depends on strong associates.

- Western countries are declaring their readiness to additionally finance candidates…

- The West has no right to finance participants of election campaigns in other states. If such facts are registered, a response of the foreign ministry will follow. The central election commission is not authorized to operate internationally and apply sanctions to those who finance. We can apply measures toward the candidates. The money from abroad can be spent to finance, first of all, smear campaigns to discredit the main candidate like it was in 2001.

- How will the observation over the election be organized in 2006?

- Observers can be national and international. Participation of national experts will depend on activity of social groups. In line with the law all political parties, personnel of enterprises, public associations can take part in election monitoring. Trade unions, local deputies are usually very active in these issues. The central election commission is very cautious about international observers, taking in view the statements by several countries and the OSCE. Do we need the observers who are not going to recognize the election a priori? Therefore the issue on international experts will be discussed at a high level involving the head of state, foreign ministry, parliament. An international observer cannot come to monitor the election on his own initiative – he should be invited.