The parliamentary elections are to be held on September 23, 2012, President Aliaksandr Lukashenka said at the meeting on the election campaign.
The session of the Central Election Commission (CIC) is scheduled on June 19, 2012. There are 15 organizational issues on the agenda, i.e. description of election divisions, procedural framework of elections, etc.
According to Lidziya Yarmoshyna, the CIC Chairman, the Commission is not going to consider the appeal of the citizen group headed by former presidential candidate Dzmitry Uss.The group is seeking change in electoral legislation. Their draft law was referred to the Ministry of Justice, she said. The Ministry is to come up with official response in the course of a month, the deadline being on June 28, 2012.
As far back as June 8, Lidziya Yarmoshyna assured Aliaksandr Lukashenka that there would be no change in electoral legislation before the parliamentary elections. Firstly, taking into account the schedule it is impossible; secondly, in accordance with the OSCE recommendations, implementing any reforms is an undesirable action a year before elections, she reasoned.
The 2012 parliamentary elections will cost taxpayers Br 93 bn (appr. $11 mln). Radio- and television debates are sure to become a new experience for the Belarusians who are not going to sit out the oncoming political event.
Belsat
