Lidziya Yarmoshyna dismisses the appeal of an opposition candidate for deputy
Lidziya Yarmoshyna, head of the Central Election Commission
April 14, former candidate for the Mahiliou Regional Council in Khotsimsk constituency No. 54 and for the Khotsimsk District Council in Uzbiarezhnaya constituency No. 13 Valery Karankevich received a response from the Central Election Commission to his complaint.
April 4, Mr. Karankevich complained to the CEC that the Khotskimsk district election commission, constituency commission and Mahiliou regional election commission didn't answer his complaints in which he indicated gross violations of the procedure of voting at polling stations No. 1 and 3 in Khotsimsk and requested a recount of ballots at these polling stations. Meanwhile, the complaints were filed back on March 26.
In the response, signed by Chair of the Central Election Commission Lidziya Yarmoshyna it is reported that "in connection with your appeal to the Central Commission to appoint a recount of
ballots at polling stations No. 1, 3, 3 in Khotsimsk weexplain that consideration of applications in this category doesn't belong to the competence of the Central Commission".
Lidziya Yarmoshyna also explained the former candidate for deputy the procedure of application for a recount and referred to the Secretary of the Mahiliou Regional Election Commission who stated that he hadn't applied to that commission.
"Frankly speaking, I just don't know what to do. It is just a kind of reinforced concrete wall”, said Mr. Karankevich. “March 26, I filed a complaint with the requirement to recount the votes to the district, constituency and Mahiliou regional election commissions, but for some reason they came only to the constituency election commission which dismissed the appeal. Now I am pushed aside by the Central Election Commission. Maybe I will consult human rights activists and apply to the MP Uladzimir Krautsou with the request to initiate a review of the electoral legislation concerning the order of appealing the results of voting. At present it is just impossible to get anything from the election commissions.”
It should be noted that earlier the constituency election commission of the Khotsimsk constituency No. 54 dismissed the appeal of Valery Karankevich for a recount of votes at Khotsimsk constituency No. 54. The Commission noted that, "according to the protocols of the aforementioned commission (№ 1,3,4 – ed.) no violations were found. Thus, there are no reasons to recount the votes at the Khotsimsk constituency No. 54." Strangely enough, the commission's letter reached the candidate only in a week, though Khotsimsk is quite a small town.
At about 8 p.m. on the day of the election, March 23, Mr. Karankevich was detained by officers of the Khotsimsk DPD at the entrance of the Internatsyianalny polling station No. 3 in Khotsimsk. He was guarded to the DPD and held there for about 40 minutes without getting any charges. The police stated that the reason for the detention was the appeal of a member of the election commission of the Khotsimsk constituency No. 54 Mikalai Tamashou. Valery Karankevich could not be present at the counting of ballots due to the unlawful detention.
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