The job of the government is to ensure the free expression of the will of citizens in a peaceful and safe environment, CEC Chairman Igor Karpenko told reporters on the sidelines of the roundtable "Electoral Process: Experience and Prospects for Development" at the Academy of Public Administration under the aegis of the President of Belarus attended by a delegation of the Election Commission of Leningrad Oblast of the Russian Federation, BelTA has learned.
The roundtable brought together experts, teachers and students undergoing advanced training courses on the topic "Theory and practice of the electoral process". The parties are set to exchange experience in conducting electoral campaigns, discuss issues and ways to solve them.
"It's no secret that any election campaign or referendum politicizes society. There are different points of view and different ideologies, the possibility of setting up political parties, pluralism of opinions. We are also actively discussing these topics. But I would like to emphasize that the Constitution is, as the president put it, the basis of the state ideology. It lays down the main principles - sovereignty, inviolability, territorial integrity of our state, and the security of the country. Therefore, however wide the pluralism of opinions is, they should work to strengthen the statehood, sovereignty and security of the country," Igor Karpenko said.
According to him, various questions may arise during election campaigns. "This may be external influence, including misinformation campaigns. Sometimes we have to deal with a hybrid impact. Our neighbor Ukraine is an example in this regard. We, too, experienced certain elements of hybrid impact within the framework of the election campaign in 2020. Of course, we are discussing these topics, and the task of any state is to ensure the free expression of the will of citizens in a calm, peaceful and safe environment and to keep the situation stable," the CEC head noted.
Written by: belta.by
