Lebedev: Calls to boycott elections are destructive

GOMEL, 17 September (BelTA) – Calls to boycott the elections show a destructive position of individual politicians and some other people, Chairman of the CIS Executive Committee - CIS Executive Secretary Sergei Lebedev told BelTA in Gomel. Sergei Lebedev is head of the CIS observation mission at Belarus’ parliamentary elections. He visited several polling stations in the oblast capital and met with Gomel Oblast Governor Vladimir Dvornik on 17 September. Sergei Lebedev noted that in a number of western countries, like Greece and Belgium, there is a ban on evading elections. If a person chooses not to vote, he/she will be fined or will face criminal charges. “It is okay there. Nobody says that the ban infringes the rights of voters in Belgium or some other country,” the head of the CIS observation mission said. If electoral legislation is viewed under this perspective, the electoral laws in post-Soviet countries are even more liberal. The electoral laws there do not bind citizens to cast their ballots. “I think it is up to a voter – to vote or not to vote. If we want to affirm democratic values in our society, if we want to democratize our life, we should adopt a pro-active approach in life,” Sergei Lebedev believes. If people evade from voting, this will demonstrate their unwillingness or inability to do something. “In a word, I believe that the calls for a boycott of the elections are destructive,” he said.

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