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Amendments to the Electoral legislation condemned by 12 political parties and movements

2013 2013-10-08T22:25:03+0300 2013-10-08T22:25:03+0300 en https://spring96.org./files/images/sources/vybary-kodex.jpg The Human Rights Center “Viasna” The Human Rights Center “Viasna”
The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

The leader of the civil campaign "Tell the Truth" Uladzimir Niakliayeu believes that the amendments to the electoral laws do not allow to make the elections free, fair or transparent.

According to him, the biggest drawback is that it is still impossible to prevent abuse during the counting of votes:

“For all years, the opposition's demands were aimed at ensuring that a representative of the party or movement which nominated a candidate was included in the election commission and that this representative could take part in the counting of the votes. However, we didn't manage to get this for almost twenty years.”

Uladzimir Niakliayeu also considers as unacceptable in the light of the Constitution the prohibition to call for the election boycott, as well as the fact that the candidates must raise the money for their campaign on their own.

An appeal with the critique of the amendments to the electoral law, adopted in the first reading by the House of Representatives, was signed by 12 democratic opposition parties, movements and organizations.

As stated by the leader of the Belarusian Social Democratic Party (Hramada) Iryna Veshtard, the proposed changes are either cosmetic or further alienate Belarus from the standards of free, fair and transparent elections:

“The means for the preparation of campaign materials was taken away. It is necessary to add that they will strive to eliminate the agitation for a boycott, and a man needs to have such a right always. I cannot see anything in these amendments which could show a progress towards democracy,” said Iryna Veshtard.

The signatories of the statement demand that the authorities guarantee them a procedure of vote count which would be transparent and open for the election observers, give the parties and candidates the right to have their representatives in the election commissions and also refuse from mass herding of electors to early voting, which creates conditions for election frauds.

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