Official Candidate Violates Law and His Oppositional Rival Is Warned

The member of the BPF Party Yaraslaw Bernikovich is going to run for a deputy seat at Hlybokaye circuit No. 22. He registered his initiative group and is collecting signatures. Bernikovich found out that member of the initiative group of his rival, deputy of the National Assembly of the Chamber of Representatives Vasil Khro Liliya Latanowskaya collected signatures among her subordinates. All information about them, including the passport numbers, was included into the signatures lists in advance.

Yaraslaw Bernikovich complained against it to the election commission of his circuit. However, during the complaint consideration it was found out that Liliya Latanowskaya left Khrol’s initiative group due to family circumstances. The commission decided that as a far as there were no signature lists presented, the fact of such collection of signatures couldn’t be checked up. Latanowskaya’s subordinates weren’t questioned.

Vasil Khrol filed a cross complaint, stating that Bernikovich allegedly collected signatures at the market and paid for the advertisement that was sounded from a loud-speaker. In this case the commission members questioned the person who was responsible for the advertisement and warned Bernikovich for use of his means during collection of signatures.

In the warning it was stated:
“On the basis of article 49 of the Electoral Code of the Republic of Belarus for violation if article 48 of the code “About expenditures for preparation and holding of election, referendum, revocation of deputy or member of the Soviet of Republic”. However, this article provides responsibility of the persons who take part in elections for usage of their own means for agitation purposes.

In this case there was no agitation, because “agitation” is calling citizens to vote for or against a candidate. The initiative group didn’t have such aim and its actions were of solely informative nature. Besides, the Electoral Code contains the list of all reasons eligible for warning and such violation is not mentioned there.

Yaraslaw Bernikovich is going to complain against the decision of the circuit election commission at Central Election Commission.