The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

News for 25 Apr 2010

25.04.2010 Observer Piatrouski turned out of polling station by police

Viktar Piatrouski, observer at polling station #57 of Minsk’s Chyhunachnaya constituency #20 and a proxy to the candidate Mikhas Pashkevich, was forced to leave the polling station by the police, on order by the local election commission’s chair Vasil Aveniuk. The official refused to provide any explanations for the decision and ordered to turn the observer out of the polling station.

25.04.2010 Aliaksei Valabuyeu’s proxy threatened by observers from Cossacks’ Union

Ivan Shyla, proxy to Aliaksei Valabuyeu, running for the Salihorsk Town Council, as well as the candidate’s campaign team activist Andrus Tychyna, were threatened with violence by observers, representing the Union of Cossacks. The observers also used foul language and ordered the activists to leave the polling station. Meanwhile, the incident was not stopped by the police.

25.04.2010 Vitsebsk: standard violations

The voting in Vitsebsk polling stations is reported to be accompanied by the same violations as in the previous elections: ballots are given without IDs, polling booths are occupied by more than one person at a time, places for observers do not enable them to maintain efficient observation of the voting process, information on candidates lacks data on their incomes.

25.04.2010 Strange but true: 4 candidates from village of Chysts are members of election commissions

Today, it turned out that four candidates for the Chysts village council (Siarhei Miroshnikau, Halina Kurylovich, Alena Ulchyts and Stanislau Bazhko) are at the same time members of various divisional elections commissions.

25.04.2010 Babruisk: several hundred ballots disappear from polling station

Yauhen Vaskovich, Babruisk member of the Belarusian Christian Democracy party, running for the town council, says several hundred ballots ‘disappeared’ from polling station #14.

25.04.2010 Minsk: Canvassing for ‘loyal’ candidate inside voting booth

The polling stations of Minsk’s Chyhunachnaya constituency #20 prompt the ‘right’ choice to voters by transparent hinting. The ballot box samples have invented names of candidates, which, nonetheless, very much resemble the candidates’ real names.

25.04.2010 Brest: residents of 298 apartments not included on voters’ lists

Mr. Matuz, living at 101 Suvorov St. in Brest, discovered the block of flats, as well as house #101A, was not included on the voters’ lists. In total, residents of 298 apartments were not invited to the polling station.

25.04.2010 Mahiliou: BCD candidate detained after she caught election commission member rigging vote results

Ms. Marya Kulmanava, Belarusian Christian Democracy member, running for the Mahiliou City and Regional Councils, took two marked ballots from an election commission member.

25.04.2010 Mahiliou: candidate summoned by KGB on voting day

Today, on 25 April, Aliaksandr Irkho, leader of the local committee of the Belarusian Social Democratic Party (Narodnaya Hramada), running for the Mahiliou City Council, received a summons to the local KGB department. The writ does not mention whether the candidate is a witness or a suspect.

25.04.2010 Commissions should provide separate results for early vote, says CEC

Numerous observers say the announcement of voting results is quite differently treated by various election commissions. At some of the polling stations, the commission chairs say they are going to announce separate results for early vote, ballot boxes for ‘home vote’ and those used on the day of the election. Others claim the law does not require separate results.

25.04.2010 Babruisk: voters allowed voting without IDs

Babruisk human rights activists report a number of cases when voters were allowed casting their ballots without producing their IDs. Besides, members of local election commissions have reportedly advised voters to vote for their relatives.

25.04.2010 Masty: candidate’s proxy tuned out of polling station

Aliaksandr Pudaukin, proxy to Ales Zarembiuk, running for the Masty District Council, was not allowed to enter Kastrychnitski lopping station #2 by the local election commission. The officials said he could not be present at the station. Only after Mr. Pudaukin phoned the district election commission, he was allowed to observe the voting process.

25.04.2010 Minsk: chair of election commission tried to turn out candidate’s proxy out of polling station

Today, at about 12 a.m., Andrei Paprotski, proxy to the UCP candidate Fiodar Maslennikau, was approached by chair of the election commission and asked to leave the observers’ table at polling station #48 in Minsk’s Chyhunachnaya constituency. The official said a proxy could not be an observer.

25.04.2010 Hrodna: registered independent observer not allowed visiting polling station

A blatant violation of election observers’ rights was recorded at polling station #110 in Hrodna. The officially registered independent observer Dzina Paulava was not allowed observing the voting by the local election commission. The officials argued that the observer needed an additional permit by the superior election commission.

25.04.2010 Mahiliou regional election commission blames hackers for technical fault

According to the Mahiliou Regional Election Commission, the official web-site of Mahiliou regional executive committee was hacked, resulting in the wrong date of the commission’s meeting being published on the site.