The newly elected House of Representatives held its first meeting in Minsk on October 18 to elect its chairperson and establish standing committees.
Lidziya Yarmoshyna, head of the central election commission, was to chair the lower parliamentary chamber's meeting until the election of its chairperson.
As many as 109 out of the 110 seats in the House of Representatives were filled in the September 18-23 elections, with only government-backed candidates elected. The only district where no one was elected to the House was Electoral District No. 36 in Homyel. Syarhey Melnikaw, an employee of a Homyel-based private company called MS-Market who is a member of the Liberal Democratic Party, was the only candidate on the ballot in the district. He failed to get elected because he did not win at least 50 percent plus one vote, the central election commission said.
The newly elected lower chamber includes 21 members of the previous House.
Speaking at the meeting, Ms. Yarmoshyna said that the "high education level" of the House of Representatives members would allow them to competently perform their duties. The official stressed that September's elections had been held in compliance with the constitution, national electoral regulations and international standards. "All measures were taken to ensure a transparent electoral process," she said.
