Belarus should give up on establishing polling stations abroad and allow people to vote via the Internet instead, Lidziya Yarmoshyna, Chairperson of the Central Election Commission (CEC), said in an interview with TV channel Belarus-24.
The whole world is now moving away from this practice, Yarmoshyna stressed.
According to the top official, the CEC has no intention to modify the electoral legislation ahead of the parliamentary and presidential elections in 2019-2020. However, But if some amendments were made, she would recommend introducing voting via the Internet and withdrawal from create polling stations in embassies.
The exact dates of the two election campains have not been reported yet. In January, the Chair of the Central Election Commission stated that the presidential election in Belarus would be held no later than August 30, 2020, and the election of deputies to the House of Representatives – no later than September 6, 2020. The Belarusian law allows holding the two campaigns simultaneously, but as a rule, the presidential race does not overlap with other elections in Belarus, Lidziya Yarmoshyna noted. In February, she revealed that the next election campaign – it is still unknown whether it will be parliamentary or presidential – might take place in autumn.
The previous presidential election in Belarus was held on October 11, 2015, the last parliamentary elections — on September 11, 2016. The president is elected for 5 years, the MPs — for 4.
