Lidzia Yarmoshyna: The operation of election commissions is absolutely transparent

The operation of election commissions is absolutely transparent, Chairperson of the Central Election Commission (CEC) Lidia Yermoshina told the Belaruskaya Dumka Magazine in an interview.

According to Lidia Yermoshina, Belarus was one of the first European countries to legalize election monitoring. Belarusian laws allow both national and international observers.

National observers can be sent by the same structures and collectives that nominate their representatives for the election commissions. “Those are political parties, public associations, representatives of labor collectives, and individuals by filing an application with ten signers. If there is a will, if a person wants to do it, anyone can be an observer,” said Lidia Yermoshina.

Besides, members of local councils of people’s deputies and plenipotentiaries of candidates for deputies can monitor elections. “Besides, representatives of mass media can be present at voting stations and sessions of election commissions. It does not matter whether the reporter has been assigned to cover the election, whether he has a permanent job for the mass media. Anyone who has even a public reporter ID can be present at a polling station and monitor the operation of the commission,” said Lidia Yermoshina.

The CEC Chairperson is convinced that it is not that difficult to verify the legality of the voting procedure. “If citizens distrust something, they can monitor the elections themselves. Including the ballot counting process. This is why I believe that our election procedure can be named one of the most transparent and public ones,” said Lidia Yermoshina.