17.08.2008 Vetka: candidate fined 1 million BYR for missing road sign

Kanstantsin Zhukouski plans to run in district # 38. On August 15th he was fined by Vetka rayon court. Judge Yu. Mazheika decided Zhukouski had committed an administrative infringement “which was revealed in entering the radiation polluted area” (Article 16.3 part 2 of the Administrative Code).

17.08.2008 ELECTION WEEK: EVENTS AND GENERAL CONCLUSIONS

Formation of precinct election commissions was the main topic this week. As a result, very few representatives of pro-democratic parties and NGOs will work in the commissions. Another week trend was growing amount of promotion of pro-governmental candidates in state mass media, who, in violation of the election law, seem to be not ashamed of giving election promises on this stage of the campaign. The candidates, especially incumbent MPs, seem to have just woken up after four-year hibernation and all of a sudden remembered about their voters. To be more precise, they decided it was about time to start “feeding” people with another portion of usual promises. At the same time, the so-called “self-initiative” – running without the agreement of the authorities, which in fact is the expression of the political will of a citizen, not only fails to win admiration (although it should – finally people show political activity the authorities have been calling for!) but leads to job losses… Signature collection for the candidates backed by the authorities was quite different from the process which pro-democratic and independent candidates had to undertake.

17.08.2008 Slutsk: Executive committee’s ideologists “train” chairs and secretaries of precinct election commissions

On August 15th two conferences took place in the building of Slutsk rayon executive committee. The first conference gathered chairmen and secretaries of rural precinct election commissions, and the second one gathered chairmen and secretaries of urban precinct committees. The conferences were organized directly by Slutsk executive committee officials: deputy head of the committee for social issues and ideological work Piotr B. Dauhuchyts and head of ideological department of the committee Larysa H. Dabravolskaya.

17.08.2008 Paleskaya election district: Authorities set the keynote, who to vote for

Administrative resource in support of the pro-governmental candidate is fully used in Paleskaya election district. According to headquarters of the UDF representative Mikalai Haurylenka, the authorities (the executive committees’ representatives) hold meetings with work collectives, during which they promote Siarhei Kanoplich, chairman of Yelsk executive committee. For instance, chairman of Lelchytsy rayon Council Anatol Khaliava organized meetings for nomination of representatives of work collectives to precinct election commissions (Milashevichy forestry, Prybalavichy forestry, Barauskoye forestry, “Alyans” agro-industrial complex, engineer-constructor company PMK-103, Lelchytsy rayon hospital, etc.) and urged them to vote for Siarhei Kanoplich.

17.08.2008 Nomination of candidates to the Council of the Republic begins

Nomination of candidates to the upper chamber of the Belarusian parliament, the Council of the Republic of the 4th convocation, began on August 17th. Mikalai Lazavik, secretary of the Central Election Commission, informs, candidates to the Council of the Republic can be nominated by presidiums of local councils and corresponding executive committees. No less than two thirds of the local council’s presidium and the executive committee should participate in the joint session nominating the candidates.

16.08.2008 Kazulin is free

Today Aliaksandar Kazulin has been released from Vitsba-3 prison.

He was serving the 5.5-year prison term, allegedly for hooliganism, after challenging Aliaksandar Lukashenka during the presidential election.

Kazulin was granted pardon by special edict, signed by Lukashenka on Friday.

15.08.2008 Human rights activist R.Kisliak complains to general procuracy about violation of his right to receive information

The human rights activist from Brest Raman Kisliak has complained to the general procuracy of Belarus about violation of his right to receive information about the picket against war with Georgia which had taken place near the Russian Embassy in Minsk on 13 August.

15.08.2008 Minsk: teachers busy collecting signatures

The stage at which signatures for nomination of candidates to the Chamber of Representatives of the National Assembly are collected is coming to an end. However, some of the pro-regime candidates continue violating the requirements of the Electoral Code by using the administrative resource. The officers of the capital’s educational establishments still actively help them in it.

15.08.2008 Homel: procuracy upholds dismissal from work for oppositional pretender for candidate

One of the tendencies of electoral campaign’2008 is that potential candidates that are not nominated by the regime are threatened with dismissal from work or even dismissed. The law enforcing agencies usually close their eyes to such actions. One of the latest exampled is the reaction of the procuracy to the dismissal threats received by a pretender for candidate at Buda-Kashaliova constituency Kanstantsin Zhukouski.

15.08.2008 Slutsk: student rebuked for collecting signatures in support of social democrat

A student of the technical college, member of the initiative group of a candidate from the Belarusian Social Democratic Party (Hramada) Anatol Yurevich Iryna Maksimenka was pressurized by the deputy head of Slutsk district executive committee Piatro Dauhuchyts. He received a rebuke and was threatened with expulsion from the college. Dauhuchyts demanded that he stopped collecting signatures for Yurevich.

15.08.2008 Minsk: little information about personnel of precinct commissions

According to the preliminary information for 14 August, the majority of oppositional candidates were not appointed to the precinct electoral commissions in Minsk. Almost all district executive committees refuse to give any precise information to the interested parties.

15.08.2008 Kletsk: state newspaper wishes pro-governmental candidate ‘to be supported by electors’

On 26 July 2008 a large interview with the schoolmaster from the village of Shepichy Alena Novik was published in Da Novykh Peramoh, a state newspaper distributed on the territory of Kletsk district. In the first paragraph the article’s author spared no compliments. He described both her and work achievements.

15.08.2008 Vaukavysk: observer given no information

Vaukavysk constituency electoral commission #48 refused to show the lists of personnel of the formed precinct commissions to observer Viktar Huliak. They said that these lists would be printed in the local newspaper which would be issued on Saturday.

15.08.2008 Barysau: none of Salash’s adherents get to precinct commissions

Siarhei Salash is a member of the Belarusian Popular Front Party who intends to run at Barysau village constituency #63. Eleven persons who sympathize to him tried to the precinct commissions of that constituency.

15.08.2008 Zhlobin and Rahachou constituencies: one representative of opposition appointed to electoral commission

No representatives of the united democratic forces were included in precinct electoral commissions in Zhlobin constituency, and only one was included in its neighbor, Rahachou constituency. The appropriate sittings of Zhlobin and district executive committees were held on 13 August.