29 March 2024, Friday, 1:04
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Polish media: Municipal elections in Belarus will not offer choice

Polish media: Municipal elections in Belarus will not offer choice

The average number of candidates is 1.2 per mandate.

“Only a little over 10% of the constituencies will have over one candidate in March municipal elections in Belarus”, - the chairman of Belarusian Helsinki Committee Aleh Hulak emphasized. “The average number of candidates is 1.2 per mandate. Large majority of constituencies will offer no choice”, - he added.

In his opinion, that fact that candidates spread over the constituencies so meticulously causes suspicions that the electoral process is being managed from above. According to the Central Electoral Commission, in 18.8 thousand constituencies 22.8 candidates will run, PAP reports.

Deputy chairman of the human rights center Viasna Valancin Stefanovich pointed out that none of the observers of the civic campaign ‘Human rights activists for free elections’ was allowed to study the documents of the candidates-to-be. “To the greater extent the electoral campaign was completely closed and 100% unavailable for the public”, - he said.

According to the data, published yesterday, very few opposition candidates got registered: 107 representing ‘Tell the Truth’ campaign, 88 – ‘Just World’ party, 81 – United Civic Party, 42 – Belarusian Christian Democracy and Belarusian Social Democratic Party (Hramada), 38 – the Movement for Freedom, and 27 – the BPF party.

According to the information, announced by the CEC’s secretary Mikalaj Lazavik in early February, in the commissions that will count votes there are only 23 representatives of opposition. This accounts for 0.03% of all the commission members.

It is worth pointing out that in January Lukashenka awarded an Order of Honor to the head of the Central Electoral Commission, who is banned from entering the EU and US, since starting from 1996 none elections or referendum held in Belarus were recognized as free and fair by international organizations.

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