Kapyl authorities falsify documents on appointment of members to precinct commissions

Viktar Dashkevich, observer from the Belarusian Helsinki Committee at Salihorsk village electoral constituency #76, addressed the procuracy of Kapyl district after Kapyl district executive committee included in precinct commissions some ‘nominees’ of working collectives who did not have any relation to the working collectives from which they had been allegedly nominated. The procuracy checked the facts and ordered Kapyl DEC to replace the illegally nominated members of commissions.

Instead of implementation of the procuracy’s order, on 1 September Kapyl district executive committee adopted ruling #893 by which all ‘nominees’ were left in the commissions, but the way by which they ‘had been nominated’ was changed. Now the official version is that they were nominated to the commissions by ‘collection of citizens’ signatures’.

Viktar Dashkevich applied to Kapyl district court and asked to find this ruling illegal. On 10 September the court refused to bring a case referring to paragraph 1 part 1 of Article 245 of the Civil Process Code. The official reason is that the Electoral Code of the Republic of Belarus does not describe the order for appealing against decisions on forming of electoral commissions. Then the observer prepared a private complaint to the College Board on civil cases of Minsk oblast court against the verdict of Kapyl district court.

He also addressed Kapyl DEC to find the places of work of all members of precinct electoral commissions as many law violations had been committed during formation of these commissions. In an answer signed by the head of Kapyl DEC M.Boda it was stated that the found violations of Article 35 of the Electoral Code were corrected and all information about the personnel of the electoral commissions was published in the district newspaper Slava Pratsy. The DEC refused to provide any information about the places of work of the commissions’ members referring to Article 28 of the Constitution which guarantees to all citizens of the Republic of Belarus protection from interference with their private life.

Human rights activists for free elections