Lukashenko urges EU to give up stereotypes about presidential elections

MINSK, 20 October (BelTA) – The European Union needs to give up the stereotypes regarding presidential elections, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko told media following the meeting with Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite on 20 October.

“If the EU is still in the grip of the stereotypes which have developed in previous years, they have to put them aside,” Alexander Lukashenko said. He stressed Belarus’ direct interest in “having no one pointing at us” after the presidential elections.

According to the head of state, the country welcomes election observers from abroad. “If you need, please come and monitor the election campaign,” the president said. Moreover, every effort will be made to register as many presidential candidates as possible. “We are interested in it,” Alexander Lukashenko said.

“We would like these elections to be at least at the level of the previous ones,” the Belarusian leader stressed. He also added that international observers had already arrived in Belarus, though the election has not started yet.

The Belarus presidential election is scheduled for 19 December 2010. Polling station commissions will have to be set up by 4 November. A total of 6,390 polling stations have been set up in Belarus for the presidential election. In line with the 2010 election calendar candidates for presidency are supposed to be registered by 23 November. Chairperson of the Central Election Commission (CEC) Lidia Yermoshina believes that the CEC will be able to do it faster and candidates will be able to start campaigning a month before the election.

As of 20 October, 27 international observers from the CIS member states have been accredited to monitor the elections. They are representatives of the CIS states dispatched to work at the CIS Executive Committee on a quota basis, representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of Belarus-Russia Union State and members of the CIS Executive Committee.

Belarusian Telegraph Agency (BelTA) is Belarus' biggest news agency providing the latest news about politics, economy, sports, culture and everyday life in Belarus. BelTA's reporters operate in Belarus, Moscow, Kyiv, Chisinau, Warsaw, Vilnius, Caracas.
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Aleksei Fomich, Deputy Editor of the Translations Department (English), Central Release Office, Belarusian Telegraph Agency BelTA
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This release was published on openPR.