Siarhei Vazniak: ‘I am shocked by the futility of such observation’

Member of the Minsk City Election Commission Siarhei Vazniak visited a number of the city’s polling stations and arrived at a decision that the maintenance of vote counting does arouse much trust in the its results and renders the observation absolutely futile.

‘At polling station #7 of Akademichnaya constituency #48, where I spent most of the time, the results of vote counting were really striking. The candidate Zihmund Hedrevich, head doctor of the oncologic dispensary, was supported by 1,023 voters, 47 ballots were cast for the businessman Aliaksandr Lisau and 63 voted for Just World’s deputy chair Valery Ukhnaliou. I think the authorities could have treated the figured more modestly. Such a landslide victory is too much. Besides, over 50% of voters voted early at the polling station (651), with 542 persons voting on the day of the election,’ says Mr. Vazniak.

The politician made two remarks to the election commission, which he is going to touch upon at the meeting of the Minsk City Election Commission. The first claim dealt with the observers’ inability to watch the counting of votes. He also found it illegal that each member of the commission counted only his or her part of the ballots, then reporting on the results to the chair in a whisper. Siarhei Vazniak is sire that the practice was used across the country.

‘The final figures were known to the commission’s chair only, who announced them. Under these circumstances,  when there is no control of every ballot by all the commissioners, election observation is useless, even if a whole army of observers is sent to a polling station,’ says Mr. Vazniak.

‘Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections’