Election commissions formation: secret procedures and no democrats

A number of towns’ authorities across the country have held secret meetings to form local election commissions.

Siarhei Latsinski, Belarusian Popular Front Babruisk leader, was not allowed to attend the formation meeting. He later was told that his nomination for the town’s election commission had been dismissed.

Similarly, Slonim authorities held a closed meeting. BPF representative Ivan Sheha was not let in. He was later told that the information on the formation of the election commissions would be published in the local state-run newspaper.

Salihorsk town election commission is comprised of government officials, representatives of a number of pro-state public associations and political parties, with no pro-democratic activists on the staff, which makes it impossible to maintain public control over its activity.

The meeting for the formation of Baranavichy election commission lasted 9 minutes only, with no open consideration of the nominees – the local officials voted for a pre-proposed list. As a result, there will be no representatives of local opposition forces – the nominations by the ‘Just World’ party and the Belarusian Language Society were not even included on the voting list.

The composition of Mazyr district election commission duplicates that of the 2010 local elections, with no alternative representatives.

‘Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections’