Impeccable representatives

According to the results of the September 28 elections in Belarus, not a single opposition candidate entered the House of Representatives of the National Assembly. They have already been called the most uncontested in local electoral practice, since only 263 people competed for 110 seats in parliament. In addition, more than 26% of voters took part in early voting, which began on September 23. At some polling stations, even more than 80% of voters voted early. And by the middle of the day on September 28, the Belarusian Central Election Commission declared the elections valid, since at that time more than 50% of citizens had already voted.

On the evening of September 28, after the polling stations closed, representatives of the opposition came to Oktyabrskaya Square, demanding new elections. The opposition considers the current results to be falsified, and such successful early voting is a direct confirmation of this.

Meanwhile, President Alexander Lukashenko calmly stated that it would be “very difficult” for Western observers not to recognize these elections, Radio Liberty reports. He added: “Well, they don’t recognize it – that’s also a result. We hold elections for ourselves, for our people, for our state. The people decide everything, the people decide. Anyone who is objective and unbiased sees how these elections are going.”

From the point of view of former Belarusian leader Stanislav Shushkevich, even if the House of Representatives were filled exclusively with opposition candidates, this would not change anything, since under the current Constitution the chamber has “virtually no power,” Radio Liberty reports.