Lawmaker says West may try to meddle in Belarus’ elections

June 2, BPN. A Belarusian lawmaker has said that the West may try to stir up society and achieve its goals during the vote in his country. The statement comes amid the government’s preparations for parliamentary and local elections, scheduled for February 25.

Uładzimir Andrejčanka told the press office of the National Assembly’s House of Representative that “the Belarusian people has become wiser and older” and does not need “approval from a foreign or overseas arbitrator.”

Andrejčanka, who leads the lower house of the Belarusian parliament, said last week that elections can be used to interfere in domestic affairs and change political regimes through “color revolutions” and loopholes in national laws.

Belarus has faced international criticism for its crackdown on the opposition and civil society after a disputed presidential election that triggered mass protests in 2020. The country has not held a single free and fair election since 1996 by the standards of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.