Belarusian CEC drives agitators out to the cold

By the decision of the city executive committee, during the election campaign it is forbidden for agitators to hold pickets in pedestrian subways.

It came as a surprise for the candidate for presidency.

Moreover, considering the fact that during the collection of signatures no one banned pickets in pedestrian subways. But the chair of the Central election Commission Lidziya Yarmoshyna believes that from the point of view of citizens’ safety this decision is right.

“The decision [of Minsk city executive committee] had been adopted for mass events, for meetings. And pedestrian subways are not suitable for meetings. And collection of signatures is held only in the form of a picket, and not as a meeting. So it was allowed. As for mass events, they are held as meetings with voters. It can be a meeting, depending on the number of attendees. And in this situation Minsk city executive committee does not have a right to run risks,” said the chair of the CEC Lidziya Yarmoshyna in an interview to the European Radio for Belarus.

On Tuesday November 30 Alyaksei Yanukovich, the campaign chief of the presidential candidate Ryhor Kostuseu, sent a letter to the CEC and Minsk city executive committee. He asked to reconsider their decision on banning the pickets in pedestrian subways. However, according to Yarmoshyna, they cannot influence the executive committee's decision or change anything. They do not consider it necessary.