When will Lidiya Yarmoshina retire?

• 29.01.2008, 13:40

Lidiya Yarmoshina, head of the Central Election Committee for Election and Referenda (CEC), celebrates her 55th birthday. Yarmoshina was appointed head of the Central Election Committee by Lukashenka’s degree on 6 December, 1996 for the first time and was reappointed twice (in December 2001 and 2006). After election to the “house of representatives” 2004, the EU included Yarmoshina into the ban list of Belarusian officials restricted to entry the EU for rigging the election results.

The question is still open whether the CEC head will retire or not. Though according to the Belarusian laws, people, reached retiring age, can’t hold leading positions in organisations or state-owned companies. It means Yarmoshina can be a CEC member, but not its head.

Before her birthday Yarmoshina met with Lukashenka and discussed the coming autumn parliamentary election, which is to be held “in a free and democratic way”, as the president’s press service notes. The election is to be held not later than 12 October.