News on the topic: local council elections-2010
09.03.2010 Salihorsk: district commission refused to accredit observer of Belarusian Helsinki Committee
The Salihorsk district election commission refused to accredit Leanid Markhotka as an observer from the Belarusian Helsinki Committee, though the human rights defender presented to it the appropriate extract from the minutes of a sitting of the BHC Council. The human rights defender is going to continue the attempt to obtain the accreditation. Now he is collecting signatures among the local electors in support for his nomination as an observer, in order to use this way of nomination.
09.03.2010 Candidacy of dismissed trade union activist is nominated to local Soviets of Deputies
As said by Mikalai Pakhabau, representative of the trade union of radio electronic industry in the Minsk oblast, at least nine members of the independent trade union will try to get registered as candidates to the elections in the Minsk oblast by collecting electors’ signatures in support of their candidacies.
09.03.2010 Activist of Belarusian Christian Democracy went on hunger-strike
Andrei Kasheuski, activist of the organizing committee of the Belarusian Christian Democracy party (BCD) went on hunger-strike to protest against his arrest. The activist was detained on 3 March in the evening in Minsk metro and was taken to the Leninski district court in Minsk where he was sentenced to 15 days of administrative arrest for alleged disorderly conduct, BelaPAN informs. At the moment the activist is kept in the prison in Akrestsin Street.
09.03.2010 First detention for election postcards ‘Tell The Truth’
Civil activists Mikhail Bashura, Volha Mikitsenka and Vasil Busel were detained in Minsk when they were carrying postcards of the civil campaign Tell The Truth.
09.03.2010 Hrodna: observer of Belarusian Helsinki Committee fined at work
The administrative commission of the Leninski district executive committee fined Sviatlana Rudkouskaya, an independent election observer nominated to the Praletarskaya constituency #17 by the Belarusian Helsinki Committee.
09.03.2010 Mahiliou: pretender to candidate Mikalai Rasiuk dismissed from work
On 6 March in Mahiliou, pretender to candidate Mikalai Rasiuk was dismissed from work due to the expiry of the labor contract. During the last seven years he worked as an electrician at the open stock company Lausanbud, at construction administration #129. He was informed about the dismissal in a months' advance. Bear in mind that Mikalai Rasiuk had run for the local Soviets of Deputies in 2007. According to the official information, he won about 20% of votes, which was one of the highest official results among the oppositional candidates in Belarus.
09.03.2010 Orsha district: democratic activists finish collecting signatures
Enough signatures have been collected for nomination of the candidacy of Sviatlana Malchanava, member of the Belarusian Christian Party, as a candidate to the Orsha town Soviet of Deputies at election constituency #9, and the BCD member Yauhen Anishchanka – at election constituency #3. Another BCD member, Yury Nahorny, has almost finished collecting signatures for nomination of his candidacy on the territory of the town of Baran.
09.03.2010 Election campaign: numbers and tendencies of the week
As far as the well-known Stalin's principle 'votes doesn't matter, what matters is who and how counts them' is still actual for Belarus, the week past was very important for the election campaign, because this period was connected with the nomination of representatives to precinct commissions – those who count the votes. This stage of the elections ended on the last day of the week. Now the election committees will decide who to trust to count the poll. The week was also defined by the active nomination of candidates to deputies and presentation of the necessary documents to the appropriate territorial and constituency election commissions. This process will last till 15 March. These two simultaneous processes and the general political atmosphere against the background of which they were taking place were in the focus of attention of the Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections.
06.03.2010 Valiantsin Stefanovich: Elections are always accompanied with repressions and harassment in Belarus
Recently the authorities have increased the pressurization of representatives of the democratic community and member of their initiative groups on all levels.
06.03.2010 Homel oblast: 2,298 pretenders passed documents for registration
As of 5 March, 2 298 persons passed documents for registration of their candidacies with the election commissions in the Homel oblast.
05.03.2010 Salihorsk: district commissions upheld ban on collecting signatures in student dormitory
Members of the initiative group of Aliaksei Valabuyeu, pretender to candidate, received a copy of the decision of the Salihorsk district election commission in favor of the prohibition to collect electors’ signatures at a student dormitory.
05.03.2010 Homel: probability of withdrawal of candidates of United Democratic Forces is very high
The Homel coalition of the United Democratic Forces reserves the right to withdraw its candidates if the authorities don’t include its representatives in precinct election commissions. The potential UDF candidates stated it at the press conference that was held on 4 March in Homel.
05.03.2010 Masty executive committee grossly violated election legislation
According to Article 34.35 of the Election Code, precinct election commissions must be formed not later than 45 days to the elections and the statements and minutes on nomination of representatives to precinct commissions must be submitted not later than three days before the formation of the commissions. According to the timing schedule of the elections adopted by the Central Election Commission, the documents on forming commissions must be filed by 7 March inclusive and the sittings on forming of the precinct commissions must take place not later than 10 March.
05.03.2010 Political parties start nominating representatives to precinct election commissions (updated)
The Hrodna departments of the democratic parties nominate their representatives to the precinct election commissions. 16 persons were nominated to them by the BPF Party that intends to nominate four candidates to the Hrodna city Soviet of Deputies. The Belarusian Social Democratic Hramada has nominated four persons, but some more members of the party will be nominated to the precinct commissions by collecting electors’ signatures.
05.03.2010 Vitsebsk oblast: signatures are passed to election commissions
The territorial and constituency election commissions have received 1 646 packets of documents for registration of candidates to the local Soviets of Deputies. A total of 3 530 deputies will be elected to the local Soviets of different levels in Vitsebsk oblast.
