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Pro-government Organizations Are Behind "Election" Organization in Belarus, Civil Rights Activist Says

Pro-government Organizations Are Behind "Election" Organization in Belarus, Civil Rights Activist Says
PHOTO BY AP

The electoral show actually is organized by five organizations run by the "White Russia" and the Belarusian Republican Youth Union.

Pro-government organizations are behind the "election" organization in Belarus. Expert of Civil Rights Activists for Free Elections campaign Valyantsin Stefanovich shared his opinion with Radio Svaboda commenting on difference between number of nominees to precinct election commissions from political parties and public associations.

District commissions have 73 278 people officially registered as would-be members of precinct election commissions at elections to the sixth House of Representatives. Mikalai Lazovik, Secretary of the Central Electoral Commission, has voiced such numbers today.

He says it is impossible to voice the list of those who will be chosen out of these 73 thousand people. The Electoral Code allows commissions of 5-19 people.

"Small commissions are our recommendation. We offer to appoint commissions of 11-13 people at places with maximum number of voters (about 3 thousand people). Five people will be enough at small precinct election commissions like in a hospital. In countries with small number of Belarusians we have reduced the members of commissions up to 3 people," Mikalai Lazovik said.

According to CEC statistics, the greatest number of nominees to precinct commissions is in public organizations - 49.9%. There are 37.5% applications submitted, 12.6% of them are from labour organizations.

Political analysts pay attention to extremely low activity of political parties when nominating candidates to the election commissions. First, only a third part of the 15 officially registered parties in the Ministry of Justice did not take this opportunity. Second, 10 parties "scraped together" only 5.8% of the total number of candidates for the ballot counting. At least, the United Civil Party has 0.3%, Fair World - 0.2%, BPF Party and the Belarusian Social Democratic Party (Hramada) - 0.1%. Moreover, party leaders have repeatedly promised to nominate candidates to precinct election commissions, where ballot counting is performed.

"Perhaps, the situation aggravated due to the fact that the leading party bodies could not nominate their representatives to election commissions, if these parties did not have registered branches in the regions, Valyantsin Stefanovich gives explanations. - If to mention the role of political parties, it does not change. Public organizations take the leading position among nominees to election commissions. And it is surprising, according to the Electoral Code, non-governmental organizations are not entitled to put up candidates. But they have the largest number of representatives in election commissions.

I personally consider this the peculiarity of the political system of Belarus, with not political parties, as it is practiced in the civilized world, but public organizations brought to the forefront. You know, we have five public organizations which actually become the organizers of the election. They are the Federation of Trade Unions, "White Russia", the Belarusian Republican Youth Union, women's and veterans' organizations".

Current numbers are the reliable ground for information of Valyantsin Stefanovich. If 10 political parties jointly put up 4272 people for ballot counting, 5 public organizations mentioned above have as much as 25 646 people.

The forming-up of precinct election commissions ends on July 27. The number of members will be announced on the same day.

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