5 May, Minsk /BelTA/. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, in an interview with Reuters news agency, stated that currently there are no factors that would force him to withdraw from participating in the presidential elections. BelTA was informed of this by the press service of the Head of State. "Regarding my participation (in the presidential elections. - BelTA's note)... I have not made this decision. And I will tell you honestly that I am not sitting and weighing the pros and cons, I am simply not thinking about it," said the Head of State. "But I will tell you directly that there are currently no such factors that would force me to withdraw from participating in these elections. There are no such factors that would, you know, give a signal to the entire nation that Lukashenko should not participate in these elections," he noted. "Perhaps, on the contrary, if I refused, the people would not understand me. It would be some kind of cowardice... Well, go to the elections: you lose, you lose, you win, you win. Therefore, I am calm about it." Alexander Lukashenko also noted that he has not thought about at what age he will leave the presidential post. "It's not about age. It's about a person's condition and their ability, their capacity to ensure a certain process and fulfill the obligations you undertake. And the people, seeing all this, compare and vote for or against," he said. "Regarding my age, I must tell you that I became President too early, so to some extent, you are probably tired of me," added Alexander Lukashenko. "And at my age, politicians are just beginning to mature, presidents are just beginning to emerge. Earlier is dangerous." When asked by a journalist if Alexander Lukashenko has plans to leave the presidency to his sons after stepping down, he replied: "I have no such plans, believe me. For my son to become president? I once said that my children have 'had enough' of my presidency, that it is unlikely they will want to be presidents after me." The Head of State also added that in Belarus, the post of President is not passed down by inheritance. -0-

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