29.07.2008 Vileika: Zmitser Vinahradau submits complaint to CEC

On July 26th head of the regional BPF branch Zmitser Vinahradau filed a complaint to CEC about the decision of Vileika district election commission # 64. On July 24th the commission denied registration to his initiative group. The reason for denial was a statement from one of his team members that he had been included in the team against his will. According to head of Vinahradau’s initiative group the statement was written under pressure of the local “vertical”.

29.07.2008 Homel: Piotr Kuzniatsou’s initiative group not registered again

The decision not to register Piotr Kuzniatsou’s initiative group again was made by Homel-Centralny district election commission # 33 on Friday, July 25th. The reason was the refusal of two initiative group members to participate in the process. The commission states it has the appropriate statements from these two people. However, they failed to provide the documents to Kuzniatsou for either reading or copying.

29.07.2008 Early campaigning continues in Barysau

The executive committee’s Adzinstva newspaper published an appeal of the local veterans’ organization in its Saturday issue. The appeal which focused around the upcoming parliamentary elections was also broadcast on the local radio.

29.07.2008 Homel: Signatures for incumbent candidate collected with violations of the law

The team of Larysa Kuzniatsova collects signatures in support of her nomination in Homel-savetskaya district # 34 with serious violations of the election law. Members of Kuzniatsova’s initiative group use the administrative resource and misinform the voters. The facts were revealed by observer Andrei Tolchyn:

Staff member of a children’s institution located in the district told me, a signature collector came to the daycare she works at. The staff was proposed to sign for Kuzniatsova. It is worth mentioning, that the signature collector works in Savetski district administration of Homel. The signature collector proposed to sign in support of Kuzniatsova. When the staff member refused, the daycare director highly recommended to put the signature otherwise she would have “difficulties” at work. The staff member of the daycare wanted to remain anonymous.

29.07.2008 Barysau: Signature collection begins

On Monday, July 28th, Barysau rural district election commission # 63 registered two initiative groups for nomination of parliamentary candidates. The registered groups are the group of Vasil Huryanau, general director of Barysaukhlebpram state company, and the group of Siarhei Salash, member of BPF Party. On July 29th Salash’s initiative group consisting of 22 people, began to collect signatures.

29.07.2008 Observers denied registration in Hrodna

Hrodna-Zaniomanskaya district commission # 49 denied registration to two observers, Maksim Hubarevich and Yauheniya Vasilyeva, who gathered signatures in their support. They were told, the forms on which they collected the signatures do not comply with the norms. In particular, they failed to indicate full birthdates of the citizens. However, other commissions registered observers who collected signatures on the same forms without a problem. That is why the observers suspect that was not the real reason for the denial of registration. Maksim Hubarevich managed to register as an observer later – through nomination by the BPF party.

29.07.2008 Analysis: Formation of district election commissions

Formation of district election commissions for holding elections to the Chamber of Representatives of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus

29.07.2008 Democrats called to KGB in blast case

Some democratic activists were called for questioning in the KGB in Minsk blast case.

The oppositionists were called for questionings by phone. As activist of the “European Belarus” civil campaign Maksim Vinyarski told to the Charter’97 press center, a man who named himself “KGB officer Alyaksandr Mikalaevich” phoned to him and strongly recommended to visit the KGB directorate on Minsk and the Minsk region. He said a ground for questioning was 4 July blast in Minsk. The KGB officer refused to say his surname and send an official summons to the activist. Besides, he “strongly” recommended that Maksim Vinyarski not to “inform anybody” about the questioning.