Ramanchuk’s election agents face obstacles in appealing voting results

Salihorsk district election commission and the local prosecutor’s office refused to register appeals against alleged election violations at some of the town’s polling stations.

According to Larysa Nasanovich, Yaraslau Ramanchuk’s election agent in Salihorsk, she witnessed blatant violations during vote count at local polling station # 25. “The counted ballots did not match the figures mentioned in the final election record”, says Ms. Nasanovich.

Similar abuses were reported by local UCP observer Aliaksandr Tsatsura. “I could see the vote counting and I swear the number of ballots for Lukashenka was less than those in favour of Ramanchuk and Niakliayeu. The election commission chair noticed that and started shuffling them. Then he took them to his table and redistributed the ballots. My demand to recheck the ballots was dismissed. The final figures did not match what I had seen with my own eyes”, says the observer.

Following the registered violations, Larysa Nasanovich and Aliaksandr Tsatsura, together with observer Malochka, lodged an official request to recount the ballots at the polling stations. However, the district election commission secretary said the work of the commission had been over and refused to register the appeals.

“Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections”