Lukashenko called the collection of signatures in his support a disastrous job

More than 1.5 million signatures have already been collected for the nomination of Alexander Lukashenko for the upcoming presidential elections in Belarus in January 2025. This was announced today, November 21, at the meeting of the Belarusian leader with the head and coordinators of the initiative group.

"I am very grateful to all of you, the coordinators and the groups that have been created within the initiative group. You, regardless of time, I know that you are doing all this very carefully and carefully. You don't force anyone, you don't push. That's right. That's right, because we don't need it. It is absolutely unnecessary. And in order not to create unnecessary questions later, we have to act very carefully in this direction.… But by the number of signatures that you have collected, this is a disastrous job. I didn't even expect it to be like this," Lukashenko said.

In this regard, he asked the members of the initiative group to decide for themselves how to proceed, but not to strain unnecessarily.

"Until December 6, we have a collection of signatures. Therefore, once again I want to consult with you on how we will proceed further. I have already said that, probably, it is necessary to stop collecting, but it will be wrong, because people will reproach. On December 6, it means that we must be present somewhere before December 6, so that those who wish can come and sign... There is no need to strain the members of the initiative group so that they run, overexert themselves. They ran around the houses for people and asked for something or arranged extra collection points for signatures. And so a sufficient amount has been collected," he noted.

At the same time, Lukashenko stressed that one of the most important aspects during the collection of signatures is the communication of members of the initiative group with people.

"I would really ask you to concentrate all those data and inform me so that I know what people are talking about, what I need to pay attention to. This is a good sociological cross-section. There is no better. Just honestly write to me what good people have said — in two lines — and everything else that people demand and what is bad, from their point of view. This is very important… The problems that worry people are very important to me. And we will, of course, work in this direction and correct the shortcomings that people notice," the President of Belarus said.

The next presidential election in Belarus will be held on January 26, 2025. The current head of state Alexander Lukashenko has also put forward his candidacy for them. He has been in power in Belarus since 1994.