Zhlobin district court dismisses complaint against non-inclusion of UCP member in election commission

The Zhlobin District Court (Homel region) a complaint against the non-inclusion of the representative of the United Civil Party Valiantsin Yauzrezau in the Zhlobin District Election Commission. The Deputy Chairperson of the Zhlobin District Executive Committee Uladzimir Kastsiaikou was summoned to the trial as a witness and told about the formation of the commission.

According to the Electoral Code, district election commissions are formed by joint sittings of the appropriate district executive committees and the presidiums of the district councils of deputies. However, even the surnames of the 26 persons who had been nominated to the commission weren’t announced at the sitting of the Zhlobin DEC and the Presidium of the Zhlobin District Council. As a result, the Chairperson of the local organization of the Belarusian Leftist Party Fair World Valery Rybchanka lodged a lawsuit against the violations of the electoral law.

’The member of our organization Anatol Stsepanenka, who had attended the sitting, gave testimony to the court,’ says Mr. Rybchanka. ‘The Deputy Chairperson of the district executive committee on ideology Kastsiaikou was summoned to the trial on my petition. This official had announced the 13 candidacies for inclusion in the commission, for whom the state officials voted without discussion.’

Valery Rybchanka asked a number of questions to V.Kastsiaikou at the court sitting. ‘Answering my question, he said that the list of the 13 candidates had been prepared by the organizational and personnel department of the Zhlobin District Executive Committee, which means that the commission had been really formed by this state organ,’ says Mr. Rybchanka.

However, Judge Ina Shershneva justified the actions of the authorities by saying that the Electoral Code doesn’t provide for an obligatory announcement of all candidacies at the sittings on the formation of election commissions.

Valery Rybchanka disagrees with this stance and says that the judge ignored the provision of Article 13 of the Electoral Code where it is stated that elections must be held openly and transparently. Now he intends to appeal against the court verdict at the Homel Regional Court.

At 2 p.m. on 5 October the Svetlahorsk District Court will consider a similar court against the non-inclusion of the opposition representative Henadz Zhuleha in the Svetlahorsk District Election Commission.