Chairman of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union State of Belarus and Russia, Chairman of the State Duma of the Russian Federation Vyacheslav Volodin congratulated the Belarusian patriotic forces on their victory in the elections, reads a statement posted on the website of the lower house of the Russian parliament, BelTA has learned. 

"For the first time, in accordance with the updated Constitution, Belarus held elections on a single voting day. The same model is used in Russia. The results of the elections to the parliament and local councils of Belarus showed the victory of patriotic forces and the overwhelming people’s support of President Aleksandr Lukashenko," Vyacheslav Volodin stressed.  Deputies of the State Duma worked as observers at the elections in Belarus. "Observers from the State Duma noted that the elections were held openly, competitively, legitimately, in compliance with the national legislation. No violations were registered," the statement said.