Lukashenka expects opposition parties to participate in parliamentary election

Belarus President Alyaksandr Lukashenka and House of Representatives Speaker Uladzimir Andreychanka / president.gov.by
Belarus President Alyaksandr Lukashenka and House of Representatives Speaker Uladzimir Andreychanka / president.gov.by

The parliament should represent all the strata of the Belarusian society, Alyaksandr Lukashenka announced at the meeting with Uladzimir Andreychanka on September 16, the Belarusian President’s press service reports. 

The new Parliament should be better than the previous one, it should be developing, reckons the head of state.

Trade unions and civic associations, as well as political parties, should put forward their candidates, he urged.

"If we do have real opposition parties, they should also choose their candidates and promote them during the pre-election campaign. It is essential. The Parliament should represent all the layers of the Belarusian society so that nobody could say that there are not enough young members or elderly MPs. They should be there,” Lukashenka announced.

About 30-35% of the current MPs should be re-elected to preserve parliamentary succession. “Otherwise, all the members will be new and they will need to be taught from scratch for 18 months. The core of the current Parliament should be preserved,” the Belarusian president recommended.

A third of the MPs should be women, Lukashenka said. It is necessary to prevent men from being naughty. “Men avoid making fools of themselves when there are women nearby. This is a strong stabilizing factor in any society,” he explained. 

The President has also asked Andreychanka to provide placement for ex-MPs. He has also suggested organizing a meeting with the current MPs to express gratitude for their work.