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The next presidential election in Belarus is scheduled for 2020, which is provided for by the current legislation. During this process, citizens of the Republic will have to elect a new chapter to delegate to him the authority to manage their state. But, despite the fact that the date of this event is clearly regulated by law, it is possible that a decision will be made to postpone the elections to an earlier date in order to avoid destabilization and increase the level of social tension in society.
Dates & Dates
At the moment, it is still unknown when the residents of the Republic of Belarus will elect their new president, but this should happen no later than August 30, 2020, which is indicated by the norms of the current legislation. However, the House of Representatives still has enough time to decide on the date of their holding, since this should happen at least 5 months before the election, so that presidential candidates can submit documents and conduct their election campaigns on time.
An exception is possible only if the incumbent head of state for some reason leaves his post ahead of schedule: under these conditions, the House of Representatives will be obliged to set a date for unscheduled elections within 30-70 days.
It is important to note that before September 10, 2020, elections to the parliament of the Republic of Belarus should also be held in the country. This fact may contribute to the postponement of the date of the presidential election, if all the necessary conditions are created for this. But to say for sure when the will of citizens will take place, it will be possible only in the second half of this year.
Candidate Requirements
From the point of view of the law, any competent citizen who meets the following criteria can take the post of head of state:
- age - at least 35 years at the time of filing;
- place of birth - Republic of Belarus;
- permanent residence in the country for at least 10 years before participating in the election campaign;
- lack of membership in any political party. In extreme cases, he will have to suspend his current membership until the end of his presidential powers (if elected).
In addition, before submitting documents, the applicant will have to collect at least 100 thousand signatures from citizens of Belarus, which is a prerequisite for participation in the election race.
Possible candidates for the post
Despite the fact that there is still no accurate information about who will enter the struggle for the presidency, based on the current situation in the country, experts agree that the following candidates can declare their participation in the elections:
- Alexander Lukashenko, the current head of state. He already informed the public about his intention to run for a new term, but did not specify what would be included in his program. It is assumed that he will focus on a stable situation in the country, which will be appreciated by citizens;
- Oleg Gaidukevich from the Liberal Democratic Party;
- Yuri Gubarevich, the head of "Rukh". Despite the conflict with A. Logvinets, he has every chance to compete for the presidency in 2020;
- Yelena Anisim, who is the chairman of the association "Tavarstvo Belaruski movy іmya Franciska Skaryna";
- Anna Kanopatskaya (opposition deputy), but it’s not yet clear whether she will be able to collect the necessary number of signatures to submit documents.
Alexander Lukashenko
UCP representatives have not yet received statements regarding their participation in the upcoming elections. Perhaps this is due to the fact that the new head of the party is still unknown to the general public and is not prepared for active work on television.
Election campaigns
A prerequisite for participating in the elections is an election campaign, in which candidates will campaign voters to support them (you can cast your vote for only one candidate). For this, a variety of methods and tools that are not prohibited by applicable law can be used.
Each participant in the race builds his election campaign at his discretion, based on the goals and objectives that he wants to solve in the process of its implementation. But any campaign (regardless of the form and method of reporting to potential voters) should be stopped a day before the established election date. This requirement also applies to campaigning in parliamentary elections.
Is transfer possible
It is possible that the next election in Belarus will not be in 2020, but in 2019. This is due to the fact that parliamentary elections are planned for this period, and combining these two procedures is not only expensive, but also quite risky, as this can significantly increase the degree of social tension in society. But opposition politicians fear that Lukashenko might intentionally issue a postponement order to prevent them from thoroughly preparing for the election race, or even initiate constitutional amendments to maximize their powers. But the current president of the Republic of Belarus denied this information, explaining that he does not need any kind of handicap, and will act only in accordance with the approved regulations.
At the same time, the postponement of the deadlines can become a reality for quite objective reasons. But the president’s office promises to inform in advance about the adoption of such a decision so that authorities and candidates can prepare in time for the start of election campaigns, prepare the necessary documents and collect the required number of signatures.
Alternatively, a proposal to shorten the presidential or deputy term may be considered in order to stretch these processes in time. But, as experts say, there must be good reasons and prerequisites for this, which are currently not observed. Without any inconvenience, it is possible to hold elections 12 months ahead of schedule by comforting candidates and their voters.
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