News on the topic: elections-2008
14.08.2008 Mahiliou: observers were defrauded: local electoral commissions were formed without their participation
On Sunday an observer Zmitser Salauyou and a potential candidate Ryhor Kastusiou took to district electoral commission #85 minutes on nomination of representatives of the Belarusian Popular Front Party to local electoral commissions. ‘We asked members of the district electoral commission when the sitting on formation of the local electoral commissions would be held and were answered that nobody knew it. At 8.50 am on Monday I came to Leninski district executive committee of Mahiliou to find when the sitting would take place. They also answered that it was too early and nobody knew about it. I walked home and phoned again at 10 am. The commission answered that they had no information about it. At 12.30 pm its member Khadaniuk put up the receiver and answered that the sitting was held at 8.30 am. I asked her how they could do it, as I was there at 8.50 am and nobody knew when the sitting would take place. She said that it all really happened that way and told I should wait for three days for information on the results of the sitting,’ said Zmitser Salauyou.
14.08.2008 Barysau: district electoral commission considers article about independent candidate as agitation
The issue of the non-state newspaper Borisovskiye Novosti for 5 August published an interview with its chief editor, Anatol Bukas. The secretary of Babruisk district electoral commission #63 Tatsiana Stasava phoned to the newspaper and demanded explanations in connection with this publication. Stasava also said she would direct a complaint to the central electoral commission’s supervisory board on implementation of the electoral laws by mass media because I her opinion this interview was a means of early agitation for a potential candidate.
14.08.2008 Babruisk: potential candidate summonsed to KGB concerning ‘blast case’
‘I was summonsed to the KGB department because I am against the authorities and therefore am a suspect, that’s what I was told there’, says Alena Miadzvedzeva. ‘Lieutenant-colonel Aleh Akhremenka and the deputy chair of Babruisk KGB department Siarhei Zemliakou spoke with me. They showed to me pictures and identikits of different men. I asked them if whether I had to show them my passport to prove that I am not a man. Then they started asking whether I was I could shoot, as my husband was a military officer.
14.08.2008 Hidden agitation in Maladechna
Molodechenskaya Gazeta, #8 62 (11356) for 9 August 2008, published an interview with a potential candidate Mikalai Zhgun, director of Maladechna state polytechnics. In the interview his working achievements are described.
14.08.2008 Minsk: electoral meetings to be held in desolate places
Candidates for deputies have been given places for campaigning and meetings with voters. They are to meet with voters mostly in housing and maintenance departments, and campaign in parks and in green zones.
12.08.2008 Vitsebsk authorities prefer to form local electoral commissions in secret
On 12 August the sittings on forming of local electoral commissions were held at Vitsebsk district executive committee and at Chyhunachny district electoral committee of Vitsebsk took place.
12.08.2008 Violations of electoral laws in Vitsebsk
According to part 1 of Article 74 of the Electoral Code of the Republic f Belarus, since the time of their registration candidates to deputies possess the equal right to public appearances at electoral and other meetings, sittings and assemblies, in press, on the state radio and TV.
12.08.2008 Vitsebsk: how will district electoral commissions know which local commissions belong to them?
In Vitsebsk the state newspaper Vitsbichy, issue #85 of 26 July 2008, published a list of the local electoral commissions which was sorted by administrative districts instead of electoral districts. Only a picture with the borders of the electoral districts was published. The newspaper also failed to present to the electorate any information about the administration of the district electoral commissions. It gives the reasons to think that not all members of district electoral commissions will know what local electoral commissions belong to their electoral districts.
12.08.2008 Vitsebsk: candidate Levinau fired from police, but his harassment continues
On 12 August at 9.15 am the administration of Chyhunachny district police department of Vitsebsk familiarized Andrei Levinau with the conclusiong of the head of the police department of Vitsebsk oblast executive committee, colonel Farmahei, according to which Levinau was to be fired from police.
12.08.2008 Salihorsk: runaround instead of answer
Observer of the Belarusian Helsinki Committee Leanid Markhotka was not admitted to the joint sitting of Minsk oblast executive committee and the presidium of Minsk oblast Soviet of deputies, at which district electoral commissions were formed. After it L.Markhotka entered a record in the complaint book of Minsk oblast executive committee (OEC). There he stated that by his illegal actions the deputy head of Minsk OEC V.Hurynovich had violated part 1, Article 13 of the Electoral Code of the Republic of Belarus.
12.08.2008 Hrodna: electors are ‘advised’ how to vote
According to the information of members of the independent candidate Siarhei Kuzmenka’s team, in the Zaniomanskaya electoral district of Hrodna the local authorities paid visits to the electors’ apartments and insistently advised them to sign in support and vote for pro-governmental candidate, MP Siarhei Kamianetski. In particular, it was stated by residents of multi-storied buildings in Kabiak Street 12-1 and 12-2. According to Siarhei Kuzmenka’s team, in these houses people were simply afraid to sign for this candidate and said that they had been warned against it by the authorities.
12.08.2008 73 653 persons nominated to local electoral commissions
The central electoral commission (CEC) has summed up the results of nomination of to local electoral commissions. Most of the candidates were nominated to them on their own. About one third was nominated by working collectives, while political parties nominated only 1,72%.
12.08.2008 Astravets: members of United Civil Party not included in local commissions
On 11 August at 11 am Mikalai Ulasevich, the head of Astravets primary organization of the United Civil Party, paid a visit to the district electoral commission to get information about the forming of the local electoral commissions. He asked to be shown the minutes on nomination of candidates to the commissions and the register of applications. However, the head of the organizational department of Astravets district executive committee Halina Makhnevich refused to him.
11.08.2008 Mahiliou: pressurization of the initiative group of Ryhor Kastusiou
The members of the initiative group of a member of the Belarusian Popular Front Party Ryhor Kastusiou (running at electoral district #90 in Shklou) are pressurized. In particular, the local KGB officers interrogated without any sufficient reasons the head of Kastusiou’s team Barys Vyrvich, and one of its members, Valiantsina Shchetnikava.
11.08.2008 Vitsebsk: pressurization of police inspector Andrei Levinau increases
Recently the police inspector of Chyhunachny district police department of Vitsebsk Andrei Levinau has got his initiative group registered. He intends to run for parliament at Chyhunachnaya electoral district #19 in Vitsebsk. The police administration decided to punish the police inspector for this initiative. At first they checked his work, but no pretensions were found. Then a disciplinary case was brought against Levinau on the basis of several cases on which he had decided not to bring any criminal proceedings.
