Baranavichy: State media deliberately conceal the places of work of commission members

Karnei Piatrovich, BHC monitor, managed to find out, precinct election commissions in Baranavichy were mostly formed through nomination by work collectives and signature collection. Although a work collective can nominate only one representative in the commission, the precinct commissions mostly consist of 10-12 members from the same work collective. Moreover, chairs of the commissions are often bosses of the other commission members in their company’s hierarchy.

For instance, in Baranavichy Zakhodniaya district # 5 in precinct # 6 (lyceum # 1) the chair of the commission is lyceum principal Aliaksei Bychkouski, and 10 members of the commission are staff of the lyceum. In election precinct # 24 (secondary school # 14), school principal Mikalai Rudy is the chair of the commission, and 10 teachers of the school are the commission members. In election precinct # 36 head physician of city hospital Henadz Labkovich is the chair, and 9 employees of the same hospital and members of the commission. The same situation is observed in the majority of other precinct election commissions in this district, as well as in Baranavichy Uskhodniaya district # 6 and Baranavichy rural district # 7.

Probably, that’s why the state media publish the lists of commission members without indication of their workplace. Observers failed to obtain this information from the executive committee. This is done with one goal: people who are subordinate to the chair of the commission at work, will not be able to disobey during th election and would do everything he or she orders.

Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections