Only “insiders” are to count: Opposition not allowed to precinct election commissions

On March 10 firming of precinct election commissions finished in Belarus.

As said by experts, this process can become determinative for the opposition. in case representatives of democratic parties, movements and organisations won’t be included to election commissions, a boycott of the next stage of the “election” is possible by them.

Mahilyou region

According to official reports, in Mahilyou region precinct election commissions have been formed already. At the moment it is known exactly that 9,258 persons are to work in 830 commissions. There is no information about the number of oppositionists among them. District executive committees say that reports of proceedings at meeting at which commissions were approved, haven’t been turned around yet.

All day long, on March 10 Zmitser Salaujou, the chairman of the regional branch of the Belarusian Popular Front “Adradzhennye” was trying to find out whether members of the regional branch had become members of the commission. He claims that he was not allowed to read the order on forming commissions at administrations of districts of the capital of the region, Radio Svaboda informs.

“The only thing I managed to find out was that there were no representatives of the Belarusian Popular Front “Adradzhennye” in the commission,” Zmitser Salaujou said.

The Belarusian Popular Front “Adradzhennye” in Mahilyou nominated 21 its representatives. Officials do not give information about other oppositionists who wanted to work as commission members. They say they would publish it in the official press.

It is reported from Babrujsk that none of opposition representatives had been included in the precinct election commissions. Officials explain that they allegedly preferred those candidates who had experience of work in the commissions before.

“Political parties and public associations were very active: 27.4% of nominees to precinct election commissions are their representatives,” said the chairman of the regional election commission Valery Berastau.

Pinsk

On March 10 a session of the city executive committee for approving the make-up of the precinct election commission.

“The session finished very quickly, in 5-7 minutes,” noted the possible candidate for deputy of local councils, a representative of the Belarusian Popular Front party Alyaksandr Ramanovich. “A decision written before was read out. Unfortunately, none of our nominees was included in the two precinct commissions for which we prepared people form the BPF party”.

Hrodna region

Formation of precinct election commissions in Hrodna region has its peculiarities in each district.

In Astravets none of 4 nominated activist of the United Civil party was invited to the precinct commissions. Moreover, as said by an activist Ivan Kruk, they haven’t even said when forming of the commissions would take place.

On March 10 it turned out that the authorities have already held a session, and on the same day in the morning Ivan Kruk was said that he and Mikalai Ulasevich haven’t been enrolled as a member, as allegedly “they planned to run as candidates”.

“It is certainly vexing. They promised liberalization, and that party members would be able to participate, and in reality it turns out to be an ordinary deceit,” Ivan Kruk said.

In Svislach, on the contrary, representatives of the Belarusian Social Democratic Hramada are satisfied by make-up of precinct commissions, as all the seven nominees have been enrolled.

“All the 7 candidates offered by us have been enrolled in precinct commissions,” said Viktar Desyatsik. “Four of them were nominated by the BSDH, and three were nominated by collection of signatures. Everything went well”.

Ivan Sheha, the head of Slonim branch of the BPF party, left the session of the commission displeased. As said by him, the names of commissions’ members hadn’t been read, and only number of members in each constituency and their area were told.

It was promised that names of the commissions members would be published in the district newspaper in 7 days. However, Sheha says, he was alarmed by one speech in which accusations against members of his party were made. And there were 25 of them.

“In short, I have understood that they won’t include our people, maybe just a few persons. We were said that some of our nominees had administrative convictions. But almost every oppositionist in our country has administrative convictions; otherwise what kind of oppositionist is he?” Ivan Sheha said.

It should be reminded that the leadership of Slonim branch of the BPF many times stated that in case its activists won’t be enrolled to precinct commissions, they would boycott the elections.

Masty

Out of 9 persons from “For Freedom” movement and four persons nominated by the not registered Belarusian Christian Democracy party, Masty district executive committee has enrolled none to election commissions. The session of the district executive committee was held on March 10 in the afternoon.

As informed by the regional coordinator of “For Freedom” movement Alyaksandr Zarambyuk, the explanation was the following: three of the persons proposed by the Movement are members of initiative groups, one works out of Masty, in the neighbouring town of Vaukavysk, and the fifth is a worker of a firm registered in Minsk.

There were no explanations for denial to enroll other 4 possible members of the commission.

Vitsebsk region

The leader of Vitsebsk public association “Self-government and society” Khristafor Zhelyapau has received letters from Navapolatsk city and Haradok district executive committees. Officials demanded confirmation that the four nominees for precinct election commissions are members of this organisation.

Zhelyapau thinks these requirements are nonsense: the document about nomination of members of “Self-government and society” has a seal, and in general it would be strange for an organisation to nominate some outsiders.

“I do not know how regard that,” the activists said. “At least, it is not required by the law”.

Brest region

On March 10 a session of Baranavichy city council on appointing precinct commissions for election of deputies of local councils of the 26th convocation was held. As informed by “Human rights activists for free elections”, a speaker at this session was the head of organizing and personnel work of the city executive committee Aleh Savos. In 5 minutes of work 66 lists of precinct commissions with the total number of 685 members was appointed.

Representatives of the press and local TV, political parties and public associations hadn’t been invited to the session of the city executive committee. None of the names of commission members was read out. To the inquiry of the member of the Belarusian Language Society Syarhei Housha, the only representative of the public at that session, the answer was tat only Alyaksandr Hrytsavets, a BPF member, is approved out of three nominees of the BPF party and the BSDH. The chairman of the city executive committee Viktar Dzichkouski said that one can learn the names of other members of the commissions from the press. Viktar Dzichkouski dismissed a request of observer Syarhei Housha to publish the full information about the members of the commissions (places of work and positions).

Alyaksandr Hrytsavets, who works as a supervising foreman at Baranavichy aggregate plant, does not exclude that in connection with his appointment as a member of a precinct commission, pressure could be exerted on him to leave the commission “of his own free will”.