Brest Media Blatantly Infringe on Electoral Law :: Charter'97 :: News

Candidate for the deputy from the Brest region committee, professor of the Brest State University and head of the local Belarusian Social-Democratic Party (Narodnaya Gromada) Anatoly Levkovich called a range of media publications ahead of the second round of voting “an open violation of electoral law”.

In the “Vecherny Brest” newspaper ahead of the first round the town hall published an article, critical of the BSDP (NG) candidates’ programs, though a few out of 12 of them still managed to make it through to the second round. These days the “Vecherny Brest” published an appeal to the voters of a few reelected deputies to cast votes for Alexander Stepulenok.

On March 11 the newspaper “Zarya” published on the front page the list of all candidates for the deputies and added a call to vote for those of them, who represent the state. “We plead with you to come over to the polling stations in the second round and vote for Petr Stepanovich Poitu,” – reads the statement, signed by two deputies of the Brest town hall and deputy chair of the town hall. Then they went on agitating for Alexandra Stepulenok.

“I pretty much realize that the state is exerting pressure on media outlets. “Vecherny Brest” is an official mouthpiece of the town hall, while “Zarya” – of the regional one. What can the editor do about it?” – wonders Levkovich in an interview to BelaPAN: “But no one, the official structures and journalists included, has the right to violate the Electoral legislation provisions”.