On February 3, Minsk /BelTA correspondent/. There is no ban on the use of transparent ballot boxes during voting. This was stated by Lidia Yermoshina, Chairperson of the Central Election Commission for Elections and National Referendums, in an exclusive interview with "Belarusian Dumka" magazine.
Answering the question that the absence of transparent ballot boxes at polling stations during voting often becomes a stumbling block when challenging election results, the chairperson of the Belarusian Central Election Commission called this problem far-fetched.
"The problem of transparent ballot boxes is far-fetched. It is more of a PR move for those who disagree with the election results. I am unequivocally sure that the credibility of the obtained result cannot be linked to the presence or absence of transparent ballot boxes. After all, despite the presence of such ballot boxes and the use of electronic systems for reading data from ballots at 10% of polling stations, none of this has led to the absence of dissatisfaction among certain political forces with the results of the recently held elections to the State Duma in Russia. In this case, everything is simple and obvious - if the election results do not suit certain political forces or their influential Western investors, then regardless of the presence of the specified equipment at the polling stations, the assessment of the electoral process will be negative," says Lidia Yermoshina.
"Why do many consider the use of transparent plastic ballot boxes a guarantee against their electoral failures?" asks the head of the Central Election Commission of Belarus. "However, in some countries, no one pays attention to this. Let's take our neighbor Poland. Elections held there are regularly covered by television, and I personally have never seen plastic ballot boxes in the footage shown. And back in the times, before the introduction of EU sanctions, when I traveled abroad to observe elections, I did not happen to see such equipment everywhere in Western countries."
At the same time, Lidia Yermoshina notes that there is no ban in Belarus on the use of transparent ballot boxes during voting. "We (the Central Election Commission. - BELTA's note) provide funds for the arrangement of polling stations, and the acquisition of ballot boxes falls within the competence of the local authorities that formed these stations. Therefore, if they can find funds in the budget for these purposes or if sponsors help them, then no one will object. By the way, these transparent ballot boxes are gradually being purchased. Thus, during the elections to local councils and the presidential elections, such ballot boxes were purchased for a number of polling stations. They were already used at some polling stations in Minsk, Maryina Gorka, entirely in the Stolin district of the Brest region, and some other regions. I think that at the upcoming parliamentary elections they will appear at other polling stations," said the head of the CEC.
*** Read the full interview with Lidia Yermoshina to the magazine "Belaruskaya Dumka" in the January issue of the publication, which has already been delivered to subscribers and is on sale. -0-
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