International observers from the CIS Interparliamentary Assembly have begun monitoring the campaign for the presidential election in Belarus in Vitebsk
After the meeting at the regional executive committee, Elena Eryomenko, Deputy Director of the International Institute for Monitoring the Development of Democracy (IIMDD IPA CIS), shared the preliminary results of the observers' work. Elena Eryomenko noted, in particular, that the campaign is based on the principles of respect for state sovereignty, objectivity, impartiality, rendering effective assistance, and non-interference in the internal affairs of the state.
– Today we will begin observing the early voting in the city of Vitebsk. We returned yesterday from Mogilev. Before that, we visited Gomel. We are paying attention to how the polling stations are prepared for early voting and for the main voting day, we are looking at how they are equipped, whether there is an accessible environment for people with disabilities, and whether there is additional equipment necessary for them. All the polling stations we visited meet the requirements; the high activity of voters who came for early voting in both Gomel and Mogilev is noteworthy, and we hope to see the same in Vitebsk.
64 international observers are registered from the CIS Interparliamentary Assembly. These include senators, deputies, experts from the international institute, as well as officials from the CIS IPA Council Secretariat.