{"id":114616,"date":"2024-11-20T13:30:02","date_gmt":"2024-11-20T10:30:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/114616\/"},"modified":"2026-03-10T12:05:06","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T12:05:06","slug":"election-commission-800-national-observers-accredited-for-presidential-election","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/114616\/","title":{"rendered":"CEC: 800 national observers accredited for presidential poll"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

November 20, Pozirk<\/em>.<\/strong> Territorial election commissions have accredited 800 national observers for the upcoming presidential election in January, the central election commission’s press office reports, quoting its head Ihar Karpienka.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of them, 102 represent young people under 31, 590 are women, 144 are members of pro-government political parties and 579 represent government-loyal public associations. Accreditation of national observers will continue until January 20, a day before the start of early voting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Authorities formed 153 territorial commissions, six in each region and in Minsk, as well as 118 district commissions and appointed their heads, Karpienka said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Belarus will hold its seventh presidential election from January 21 to 26, with the whole election cycle limited to just three months. The previous 2020 presidential race was marred by police brutality against peaceful protesters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The five presidential bidders are Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka, his supporters Aleh Hajdukievi\u010d, Alaksandar Chi\u017eniak, Siarhiej Syranko\u016d as well as former MP Hanna Kanapackaja who must garner at least 100,000 voter signatures before December 6 to qualify for the race.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Belarusian opposition dismissed the election as a sham, noting that political reprisals prevent pro-democracy candidates from running and voters from freely expressing their will.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Belarus has not held a single free and fair election since 1996 by the standards of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). The government stopped inviting OSCE monitors after the 2020 disputed presidential election.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The central election commission expects flattering assessments from more than 440 international observers from the Russian-dominated Commonwealth of Independent States and government-friendly countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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