Karpenko: attempts to thwart referendum are immoral and undemocratic

At the very least, such attempts are unconstructive: by and large, they are generally destructive – as stated by the Chairman of the Central Commission of Belarus for Elections and Republican Referenda, Igor Karpenko, who added that Belarus is a sovereign state, and the referendum is being held for the country and its citizens

Mr. Karpenko visited a polling station today to vote ahead of schedule. Commenting on the ongoing – though completely unsuccessful – attempts by various extremist forces from abroad to thwart the holding of the constitutional referendum in Belarus through fake SMS messages and distribution of false materials, the official noted, “At the very least, it is unconstructive. By and large, it is generally destructive since it can be regarded as an obstacle to holding the referendum. There are relevant articles in our legislation that can be applied by law enforcement agencies for such actions. If someone disagrees with the proposed draft of the updated Constitution, why did not they develop and propose their own version? Everyone was welcomed to share their wishes, suggestions and so on.”

Mr. Karpenko also shared his views on the critical position of some states in relation to the Belarusian plebiscite. “These are double standards. Some [countries and international organisations] imagined that their legislation, approaches and principles are universal and are not subject to any criticism. Actually, we have already overgrown this. It is necessary to understand that we are a sovereign state, and the referendum is held for our country and our citizens. Any fake stories and statements from the outside can be regarded as interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign state. Probably, this is the way to assess such actions: let them be morally responsible for these. I think people in their countries see and understand it,” he said.

Mr. Karpenko added, “We have long seen how various deputies and heads of state are elected under the slogans of western democracy in the western states. They then completely forget about their promises to citizens. In turn, our country leadership is predictable, and we all know perfectly well that the President always keeps his word when speaking and making promises – either in relation to an election campaign, or a constitutional referendum. It was said that there would be a nationwide discussion – and it has been organised. It was planned to submit the draft to a referendum – and this has been done as well, although we received insinuations to avoid a referendum, discuss and make a decision in a different way. Therefore, it is really necessary to appreciate that the Belarusian people are given the right to independently determine the path of their country’s development.”