The 2020 presidential election will be held under special conditions - Ermoshina
The head of the Central Election Commission noted that due to the coronavirus pandemic, "this election campaign will be held under very special conditions." "It will be very sharply different from the presidential election campaigns that took place before," said Lidiya Yarmoshyna.
The changes will affect all participants of the campaign. For example, signature collectors will be obliged to comply with the recommendations of the Ministry of Health, and all of them must be provided with personal protective equipment.
Lidiya YarmoshynaMeetings of regional, district, and city executive committees when considering election-related issues will be held without observers, representatives of parties, and public associations. "At the same time, executive bodies must post a stream of such meetings or a recording on their websites so that all interested parties can watch them," Lidiya Yarmoshyna clarified.
She added that observers will also be obliged to comply with the recommendations of the Ministry of Health on social distancing and provision of protective equipment. Currently, this only applies to national observers. The head of the CEC does not yet venture to predict whether international experts will come to Belarus for the elections.
Answering journalists' questions, Lidiya Yarmoshyna noted that the pandemic has left its mark on the campaign in the sense that voters in August (traditionally a vacation month) will be in the country. "And even if they are on vacation during this period, we will provide them with all opportunities to vote at their place of rest," emphasized the Chairperson of the Central Election Commission. For example, students will be able to vote at their place of permanent residence, and people who live in dachas in the summer will be able to vote in rural councils. At the same time, they will be excluded from the voter lists in cities.