Yarmoshyna: Participation in debates is “totally voluntary”

According to the head of the Central Election Commission Lidziya Yarmoshyna, participation in the debates is voluntary:

"If the state leader does not want to take part in the debates, he won’t. Then the other candidates will debate with one another”.

Alyaksandr Lukashenka’s election team are unaware whether he will join th TV debates with the other candidates or not. Moreover, they cannot say who has the information. Members of his initiative group have advised an ERB journalist to ask the Central Election Commission about it.

A team member: "I cannot answer for sure because I do not possess the necessary information”.

The press service of the “White Russia” organization does not know anything about Lukashenka’s participation in the debates either. The press secretary of “White Russia” Yury Mironau noted that he was also interested in the issue.

Mironau: "I do not know. I cannot give you any answer. I would like to know it too”.

TV debates were organized during a presidential campaign in Poland a few months ago. The head of the Eastern program of the International Relations Centre Voitek Borodich has told ERB that refusals to take part in the public debates were only part of a political game:

"Bronisław Komorowski refused to take part in the debates with Jarosław Kaczyński until the last moment. He was not satisfied with the other opponents”.

Belarusian candidates will have to decide what opponents to debate with on their own. If a few presidential contenders chose the same opponent, he will have to decide who of them to debate with”.

— They will decide it on their own and it is totally voluntary, - said Lidziya Yarmoshyna.

— So, if three candidates chose one and the same opponent, will he be able to decide with whom to debate with?” – we asked again.

— He will! — replied the head of the CEC.

Candidates’ teams were dealing with the creation of pairs of opponents in Poland:

"Their decisions were practical, - continues Voitek Borodich. – For example, candidates who had a high rating did not want to debate with the outsiders of the political campaign”.

Belarusians wishing to become President have a month to decide with whom to debate during this year’s TV debates. The debates are planned to be recorded and broadcast at the end of November or at the beginning of December 2010 when the registration of presidential contenders is over.