Lukashenko lauds elections in Belarus as most open and honest in the world
26 February 2024, 14:28
The elections in Belarus are most open and honest in the world, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko told the media after he cast his vote in the parliamentary and local elections on 25 February, BelTA has learned.
“I will tell you absolutely sincere: nowhere in the world are elections as open and honest as in Belarus. This is a true holiday for us. It has always been so. In the Soviet times election campaigns were somehow artificial (I remember this): there was everything there - buffets, drinks and snacks, but yet they were somehow strained, had no soul. We do it in a great atmosphere. We pursue a sincere and honest policy and our elections are held in the same vein. We need no wars, no conflicts. We need a peaceful life. We will do everything for this,” the head of state said.
He recalled the axiom that there is no need to hold power with trembling hands. “No one will give this power away to anyone. Everything must be based on the trust of the people in the authorities. I believe that today the majority of people in our country trust the authorities. Although there is certain criticism. This is a usual thing,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said. A journalist of the Turkish media noted, addressing his question to the president, that people vote freely in Belarus, but Western countries still consider elections in such countries as Belarus, Türkiye, Russia, Iran as undemocratic and use this as a weapon.
The president stressed that every country, be it Türkiye, Belarus, Russia or China, holds elections for its people. “We will do what benefits our people. The elections will show. Any elections, including our ‘undemocratic’ ones, will answer many questions,” he remarked. The head of state emphasized a calm atmosphere during the elections in Belarus. There are no clashes, protests, or even attempts to do so. “You have not seen and will not see anything of the kind. Because we learn from our mistakes. We see our mistakes and draw the appropriate conclusions,” the Belarusian leader said.
As for the recognition of elections, for example, in Türkiye, Aleksandr Lukashenko asked the journalist a rhetorical question: “Do you really need this?” “Do you care if they recognize you or not? Well, if Türkiye starts a war in the Middle East and then against Israel (God forbid it, of course), this will be very much to their liking. Conflicts around the world in different places is what they want. Then there will be no talking about multipolarity, the unipolar world will remain, and the Americans, as it used to be, will be walking around the planet like gendarmes, with their sleeves rolled up (with their hands covered with blood). Turkish and Belarusian peoples as well as others do not need it. They [in the West] want to solve the issues like they do in Ukraine, using others,” the Belarusian leader said.
The head of state also drew attention to the situation in which “democratic” Ukraine found itself: “What has Ukraine achieved? This country has already become super ‘democratic’. Those mad heads, especially Europeans (it is clear what Americans want, but it is incomprehensible why Europeans support them), say that Ukraine is a true democracy. Do you need such democracy as in Ukraine? We do not. Nobody needs war. This is what their democracy has led to. They have long forgotten what democracy and freedom are. We all need to calm down and do our job. We need to do everything in the interests of our people.”