BHC Warns of Possible Election Falsification :: Charter'97 :: News

The Belarusian Helsinki Committee, as well as citizens Garry Pogonailo and Oleg Gulak petitioned the Supreme Court with complaint over the Central Electoral Committee’s action, pleading with the judiciary to annul the recent ruling of the Committee. During June 8 CEC session they established forms of protocols of district and territorial commissions on the final outcomes of the presidential election, which, according to the petitioners, violate art.55 of the Electoral Code and the right of voters for the full, transparent and fair reflection of the ballot’s results, thus giving grounds for potential falsification.

The plaintiffs claim that the protocols only reflect the summarized count of votes on the basis of all ballots, dropped into ballot boxes. However, art.55 part 2 reads that the opening of boxes must be carried out in proper order: first, there have to be calculated the ballots from the early voting, then – from the voting at people’s homes and only afterwards the ballots, which arrived from the polling stations on the very day of voting.

The legislation insists on the mandatory inclusion into the protocol of data, reflecting the separate count of votes from all ballot boxes, opened in turns.

Therefore, the importance of the consecutive and full implementation of separate and summarized calculation of votes, as envisaged by art. 55 of the Electoral Code and their concurrent reflection in the district commission’s protocols, is essential and can’t be overlooked.

Failure to liquidate this shortcoming in the most important sphere of electoral legislation – the counting of votes – testifies to the prepared falsification of ballot results, say BHC experts.