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Next presidential election will be held on February 8, 2011 at latest, official says

The next presidential election will be held no later than February 8, 2011, Mikalay Lazavik, secretary of the central election commission, told BelaPAN.

The official noted that the next local elections would be held on December 14, 2010 at the latest.

“Presidential elections are called by the House of Representatives no later than five months and are held no later than two months before the expiry of the incumbent president’s term in office. The president was sworn into office on April 8, 2006 and, hence, the next election should take place on February 8, 2011 at the latest,” Mr. Lazavik said.

The official noted that the next presidential election could take place before the deadline but did not say whether the government would hold the next local and presidential elections on one day.

“Holding the presidential and local elections on the same day would be undesirable as voters would focus all of their attention on the main election campaign,” he said but added, however, that this would help the government save public funds.

Mr. Lazavik stressed that the central election commission would “accept any decision.”