Territorial electoral commissions consist of ’loyal and reliable’ people

Barysau

The first sitting of the Barysau town election commission took place the day it was formed. Members of the commission elected its chairperson, deputy chairperson and secretary.

The Chairperson of the commission is Vasil Barannik, the head of the guard bureau of the open stock company Paper Mill Dziarzhznak who was nominated to the commission by the Belarusian union of veterans of the war in Afghanistan. He has been the Chairperson of the Barysau Town Council of Deputies for about ten last years and is a well-known adherent of the governmental policy.

The Deputy Chairperson of the commission is Halina Slesarenka, the director of the Barysau Central District Library who was nominated by the Belarusian Republican Union of Women. She was also a member of the Minsk Regional Council of the previous convocation.

The secretary is Tatsiana Stasava, the head of the library of secondary school #11 who was nominated to the commission by the Belarusian Red Cross. She headed the Barysau territorial election commission during the two previous campaigns, and this time she is its secretary.

Kruhlaye

On 27 September the presidium of the Kruhlaye District Council of Deputies and the Kruhlaye District Executive Committee established the Kruhlaye District Election commission. The same day the first sitting of the commission took place and its leadership was elected.

Ivan Saliukou, the organizational and personnel department of the Kruhlaye District Executive Committee, nominated to the election commission by the staff of the executive committee, was elected the chairman of the commission. By the way, he has headed election commissions for many years already.

The Deputy Chairperson of the election commission is Hanna Makarevich. She was nominated to the commission by a ‘state NGO’, the Belarusian Republican Youth Union.

The secretary of the commission is Alena Feaktystava, the main specialist of the Kruhlaye District Council. She was nominated to the commission by the trade union of workers of state and other institutions.

Thus, the electoral process in the Kruhlaye district will be supervised by experienced state officials.


Slonim-Zelva

On 2 October the state newspapers of the Slonim and the Zelva districts published the lists of members of the Slonim and the Zelva district election commissions. Both commissions consist of 13 persons. There are 10 women and just 3 men in the Slonim commission. No oppositionists were included in either of the commissions. There’s only one partisan member – Viktar Vasilitski, a representative of the pro-governmental Communist Party of Belarus.

At the same time, both commissions include representatives of such pro-governmental organizations as Belaya Rus, the Belarusian Republican Youth Union BRSM, the Belarusian Union of Women, the Belarusian Trade Union and representatives of state organs. Both commissions are governed by the executive officers of the district executive committees – Siarhei Horny and Alena Malchanava. The former is also an activist of Belaya Rus and was nominated to the commission by this organization.


Mahiliou

10 out of 13 members of the Leninskaya District Election commission of Mahiliou participated in the work of election commissions during the parliamentary election 2008.

4 out of 13 members of the Kastrychnitskaya District Election commission participated in the work of election commissions during the parliamentary election and the local election 2010.

’The fact that the people who have already worked in election commissions are included in them again witnesses that their ‘reliability’ and readiness to execute any orders. Moreover, many of them are state officials, which means that the authorities have a complete control over the election commissions. Everybody is dissatisfied with it – the opposition and the public, but they cannot do anything,’ stated the human rights defender Barys Bukhel.

According to information of the Chairperson of the Coordinative Council of the Mahiliou regional coalition of democratic forces Yury Novikau, a total of 22 representatives of democratic parties and organizations were nominated to the election commissions of the Mahiliou region: three – to the regional election commission and 19 – to the district ones. Only one of them was included in the regional commission and none were included in the district commissions.


Polatsk

7 out of 17 members of the Polatsk Town Election commission worked at the commission during the local election 2010, and 6 – during the parliamentary election 2008.

In fact, the commission consists of officers of executive committees, heads of various state enterprises and institutions of the city. However, in order to make it all look better, five of them were nominated to the commission by collecting electors’ signatures, 2 – by their working collectives and 5 more – by ‘state NGOs’, such as the Belarusian Union of Women, the Belarusian Republican Youth Union, the Belarusian Union of Officers and Belaya Rus. There’s even one partisan member – a representative of the Communist Party of Belarus.

Bialynichy

The first sitting of the Bialynichy Town Election commission (Mahiliou region) took place on 29 September.

Iryna Fursava, the head of the ideological department of the Bialynichy District Executive Committee, was elected its chairperson. She was nominated to the commission by the Bialynichy district organization of the Bealrusian trade union of state and other institutions. She also headed the district election commission during the local election 2010.

The Deputy Chairperson of the commission Siarhei Shut heads the Bialynichy center of health-improving and sportive work and was nominated to the commission by this institution.

The commission Secretary is Lidzia Shcatsinka. She was nominated to the commission by the working collective of the Bialynichy District Executive Committee, where she works as the head of the organizational and personnel department.

Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections