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.

On 12 August the same newspaper published the article entitled ‘Nomination of candidates, or how representatives of Shepichy enterprise were choosing a candidate to the Chamber of Representatives of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus.’ The first two paragraphs of this article just present information to the readers. The rest of the article is sheer agitation for A.Novik, who was chosen as a potential candidate. The article features her biography and enumeration of working achievements. Here’s an excerpt: ‘for who she, being a deputy of local and then district Soviet of deputy, often ‘went to barricades’ in order to protect what they (residents of her village) asked her to protect, so that the school where their sons and daughters would be one of the best in their district…’. The article ends with the words: ‘Let’s wish her to successfully pass the procedure of registration as a candidate and to be supported by electors at our district as well as at the neighboring one.’

Human rights activists for free elections