News on the topic: presidential elections-2010
04.10.2010 Chairperson of Brest Regional Executive Committee confesses rigging previous presidential election
During his press conference for representatives of regional mass media the Chairperson of the Brest Regional Executive Committee Kanstantsin Sumar on 30 September suddenly remembered about the previous election campaign in Belarus and made a sensational statement.
04.10.2010 Regional authorities change decisions concerning prohibition to collect signatures in support of candidates for presidential position
According to the decision adopted on 30 September, the Brest City Executive Committee has significantly extended the opportunities for picketing aimed at collecting signatures for candidates. The new decision prohibits to collects signatures at less than 50-meter distance from the buildings of the local administrations, the institutions that respond for the defense and security of Belarus and supply to population with water, heating and electricity.
04.10.2010 Websites of executive committees fail to present adequate information about presidential election
The Belarusian society keeps paying taxes for which the state officials live. Not all websites of the Belarusian executive committees (that are also financed from the budget) are updated timely and regularly. In particular, many of them lack information about the presidential election, despite the fact that they belong to the few official sources that must openly present such information to the electorate.
04.10.2010 Courts turn down complaints against violations during formation of territorial election commissions
The Barysau District Court considered the complaint of the Barysau district organization of the United Civil Party against the non-inclusion of the UCP representative Rehina Viltouskaya in the Barysau Town Election commission. The court sitting lasted for three hours. The complaint was turned down.
04.10.2010 Territorial electoral commissions consist of ’loyal and reliable’ people
The first sitting of the Barysau town election commission took place the day it was formed. Members of the commission elected its chairperson, deputy chairperson and secretary.
04.10.2010 'Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections': There are no positive changes in formation of territorial election commissions
On 1 October participants of the campaign Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections held a press-conference in Minsk. The observers compared the electoral situation to the previous presidential election. Tough the Deputy Chairperson of the Human Rights Center Viasna Valiantsin Stefanovich and the Chairperson of the juridical commission of the Belarusian Helsinki Committee, Hary Pananiaila, noted some progress towards the democratization of the electoral process, they stated that the general background (including violations from the side of the authorities) remained the same.
04.10.2010 Election of the President of Belarus 2010: Preliminary Monitoring Report on Formation of Territorial Election Commissions
Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections' offer to get acquainted with the preliminary report on monitoring the formation of regional commissions on elections of President of the Republic of Belarus.
01.10.2010 Baran: authorities ban collecting signatures at bus stops
Decision of the Baran Town Executive Committee #166 About defining the places where the picketing for collecting signatures for the nomination of candidates for President of the Republic of Belarus should be banned, adopted on 21 September, was published only ten days after in issue #112 of Arshanskaya Hazeta.
01.10.2010 Babruisk: two deputies to work in district electoral commissions
The list of the people who became members of the Leninski and the Pershamaiski District Territorial Electoral Commissions were published in issue #78 of the newspaper of the Babruisk Town Executive Committee, Babruiskaye Zhyttsio, for 1 October 2010. 13 persons were included in each commission.
01.10.2010 Results of formation of Orsha town and Orsha district territorial electoral commissions appealed at court
The Orsha Town Committee of the Belarusian Leftist Party Fair World lodged a claim against the decision of the Orsha Town Executive Committee and the Presidium of the Orsha Town Council of Deputies about the formation of the Orsha Town Electoral Commission.
01.10.2010 Hrodna region: somebody’s educated, somebody’s not even informed
On 1 October the Deputy Chairperson of the Central Electoral Commission Mikalai Lazavik held an educational seminar for chairpersons of the territorial electoral commissions of the Hrodna region. Though we don’t know anything about the essence of this seminar, we can surely state the lack of publicly accessible information about the elections of President of the Republic of Belarus.
01.10.2010 Baranavichy: secret sitting of city electoral commission
The first sitting of the Baranavichy City Territorial Election Commission was held in the atmosphere of secrecy on 30 September. It was impossible to find anything about it on the phone and there was n information in the state newspaper Nash Krai either.
01.10.2010 Homel: officials are included in district electoral commissions as representatives of public associations
At first sight, it’s difficult to reproach the Homel authorities in violations of the electoral laws: about a half or even more representatives of the electoral commissions belong to public associations. However, if we have a close look at them it becomes clear that these are the same officials who work at executive committees and head enterprises and state organizations. The city has four district electoral commissions, and their composition is almost identical. Each commission includes a representative of Belaya Rus, the Belarusian Republican Youth Union (BRSM), veterans, the Belarusian Women’s Union and the trade union of workers of state institutions. All these organizations are so-called ‘state NGOs’. There are also such associations as the union of military officers and the peace foundation.
01.10.2010 Biaroza citizens appeal against non-inclusion in Biaroza District Electoral Commission
The residents of Biaroza Tamara Schapiotkina and Siarhei Rusetski filed a lawsuit to the Biaroza District Court. They ask to consider the decision of the Presidium of the Biaroza District Council of Deputies and the Biaroza District Executive Committee about the establishment of the Biaroza District Electoral Commission on elections of President of the Republic of Belarus illegal and to include them in the commission.
30.09.2010 Formation of Biaroza district election commission lacks transparency, say local activists
Biaroza activists Tamara Shchapiotkina and Siarzhuk Rusetski, who earlier were not invited to the joint meeting of Biaroza district executive committee and the presidium of Biaroza district council of deputies for the formation of district election commission, have lodged a complaint with the Central Election Commission.
