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Lukashenka: Next three elections should become "show of true democracy"

The next three elections should become a "show of true democracy," Alyaksandr Lukashenka said at a meeting with Lidziya Yarmoshyna, head of the central election commission, in Minsk on Monday.

Local soviet elections will take place next year, followed by a presidential election in 2015 and elections for the House of Representatives one year later.

"We should give everything to the people, so that it makes up its mind itself as to who should rule it and the state, how and in what direction the country develops. This is my iron opinion," the presidential press office quoted Mr. Lukashenka as saying.

Referring to his political opponents, Mr. Lukashenka said that "alternative politicians" were pinning big hopes on the three elections. "They plan that the local soviet elections will be some kind of start, development, while the so-called democracy will culminate in the presidential election and end with the parliamentary elections," he said.

Mr. Lukashenka called for "serious preparations" for the elections, warning that it would be disastrous if this period was "lost for the country's development."

Ms. Yarmoshyna announced at the meeting that the local elections will be held on March 23, 2014.

On the same date, a new election for the House of Representatives will take place in a Homyel district, where nobody was elected to the lower parliamentary chamber in September 2012.