Veterans, vigilantes, youths to patrol areas around polling stations
February 9, Pozirk. Veterans’ associations, vigilante groups and activists of the state-run youth union will assist the police in guarding polling stations during the parliamentary and local elections, interior ministry’s official Alaksandar Kupčenia has told journalists.
Starting February 19, the interior ministry and internal troops will be on high alert, guarding all polling stations 24/7, he noted.
Police officers will be stationed near the polling stations ready “to react and provide the necessary assistance to the election commissions in maintaining law and order,” the official said.
Rapid response groups will assist them, while all polling stations will be equipped with alarm buttons and video surveillance systems.
These measures should prevent offenses and incidents during the elections, Kupčenia stressed.
Belarus will hold elections for the House of Representatives and local councils from February 20 to 25.
The country has not held a single free and fair election since 1996, by standards of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). Last year, the government decided against inviting OSCE observers.
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