Official statistics already lies

The Belarusian “parliamentary election” are being carried out amid falsifications.

The early-vote turnout  was about 18%, activists of the observation campaign “For Fair Elections” told journalists on September 23.

Syarhei Kalyakin, a coordinator of the campaign, says campaign activists were monitoring the eleciton process at 657 polling stations in 36 constituencies across the country during 5 days of early voting. “On the morning on September 23, we calculated the number of people who voted  at polling stations we control. Our data show the number was 19.4%,” Kalyakin says.

Dzyanis Sadouski, an executive secretary of the organizing committee to create the Belarusian Christian Democracy party (BCD), reports the party has information that 17.1% of voters voted early. “We can state that the real early voting turnout was about 18%,” he says.

However, this figure was reached by enforcing people to vote early.

Viktar Karnyaenka, another coordinator of “For Fair Elections” campaign, notes the highest early-vote turnout was recorded at the polling stations located in residence halls of universities.

“At some polling stations, for example in Belarusian National Technical University, the early voting turnout was 90%. High turnout was recorded at a polling station at Brest Pedagogical University – about 60%. Observers say it was a widespread practice of administration to press on students and military personnel living in dormitories to make them vote early,” Karnyaenka said.

The campaign “For Fair Elections” is carried out by 14 political parties and NGOs.

The Central Election Commission of Belarus reports 25.9% of voters voted early.