Baranavichy: information about election commission remains closed

On 9 October the human rights defenders Siarhei Housha and Karnei Piatrovich received from the Baranavichy Town Procuracy an answer to their complaint against the refusal of the Baranavichy Town Executive Committee to inform them about the places of work of members of the Baranavichy Town Election Commission. As they stated in the complaint, the information about the election commission that had been published in the state-owned newspaper Nash Krai didn’t contain the information that would let them verify the implementation of the legal norm, according to which state officials couldn’t constitute more than 1/3 of a election commission.

The answer of the acting prosecutor of Baranavichy, Mikhail Kvashnin, runs that the procuracy checked the places of work of members of the Baranavichy Town Territorial Election Commission and that there were no judges. Prosecutors, heads of the local executive committees and state officials constituted 1/6th of the commission and representatives of political parties and NGOs – 2/3, and that the composition of the election commission correspondent to requirements of the Electoral Code of the Republic of Belarus.

The justice advisor M. Kvashnin adds that the Electoral Code doesn’t provide the publication of the information about the places of work and official positions of member of election commissions, that’s why the demand of Siarhei Housha and Karnei Piatrovich was considered as groundless. Thus, it turns out that only prosecutors can check the composition of election commission and all related information remains closed for election observers.
 
Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections