Meeting with CIS Secretary General Sergei Lebedev

Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko praised an unexpectedly high turnout in the recent parliamentary and local elections in Belarus as he met with CIS Secretary General, head of the CIS observation mission Sergei Lebedev on 26 February.

“People heard all your statements in the media. This mobilized people. The turnout was high. Unexpectedly high, I would say,” the head of state said.

“A good turnout,” Sergei Lebedev agreed.

Aleksandr Lukashenko went on saying: “I did not even expect that we would have such a turnout in the elections. We have never had such a turnout in local and parliamentary elections. There are enough nuances. Among other things, the self-exiled opposition also helped us with their clumsy movements. The most important thing is that people understand the current moment, perceive it in the right vein,” the Belarusian leader said.

According to the President, representatives of the CIS mission were not only the most active observers, but in fact interested organizers of the elections: “Therefore, I believe it is necessary to thank you and the CIS mission, your colleagues who came to observe the elections. Thank you very much for the support and assistance you have provided. I emphasize this once again: support and help in organizing. You did not just come and look around. It was a truly friendly work of your mission. We appreciate your work here very much.”

According to Aleksandr Lukashenko, there were a lot of innovations during the current election campaign. For the first time in its sovereign history Belarus held a single voting day. The whole vertical of representative bodies of power, from village councils to members of parliament, was elected on one day. “I was reported on the preliminary results. It went very well,” the head of state said.

He once again thanked Sergei Lebedev personally and all members of the CIS mission for the work done, and asked about possible remarks to take into account for the future.