 | POLITICS | |
Voters Found Missing All Over Belarus
23:51, 17/10/2004
Our viewers continue to send us new evidence that the results of the elections and referendum can be easily rigged. Thus, in one of the houses of Minsk in Surganaw Street, 52 (which has 72 apartments), in the official list of citizens entitled to vote, 15 persons were missing! “Missing” persons who came to vote, were entered into a new separate list. To the question why it is so, the frightened member of the commission referred to a mistake of a typist. 
23:12, 17/10/2004
According to the recent information got by the Charter’97 press center, journalist Pavel Sheremet is placed to the hospital number 4 in Minsk with a brain injury. As we hav einfromed before, officers of the police department of the Soviet district, where Russian journalist Pavel Sheremet was kept for an hour and a half, told that he was taken to the special detention center in the Akrestsin Street. According to the statement of Navumaw, minister of the Interior Affairs, Sheremet is charged with hooliganism. He was taken to the police department after two unknown men in mufti attacked him at 7.30 p.m. The assaulters and Sheremet were taken to the police department of the Soviet district and interrogated. After that Sheremet was taken to the special detention center. Now we are trying to find out under what circumstances he was taken to hospital.
23:07, 17/10/2004
The members of the election commissions will be paid a double month salary, told the chair of the Central Election Committee Lidziya Yarmoshyna at a press conference. The CEC head underlined, however, that the salaries of the election commissions members are not high and amount to about 195,000 rubles (about 90 USD). But members of the commissions did not work not for the whole month, so they are to receive remuneration for their work according to the time of their work. As said by her, members of the election committees of the polling stations were valid, can receive bonus from the saved money allocated for the second ballot . About 4 million rubles were allocated for that.
23:01, 17/10/2004
Shakhla Ismailova, observer from Azerbaijan, spoke today to Radio Svaboda reporter at one of the polling stations: “The following violations took place as tearing off placards, on the day of elections in the room for voting we saw only portraits of Lukashenka. I personally am indignant at an absolutely one-sided agitation on TV: all the time the same reels with “Yes” variant are repeated. The variant “Against” is not mentioned at all. There was a monstrously high percent of those who participated in early voting. We have in formation that students were taken to polling stations and compelled to participate in early voting, threatened by pressure by final research paper defense and obligatory appointing to job after graduation. We also participated in independent intervewing after elections, and the proportion was something like 70% “against”, 30% “for”.
22:54, 17/10/2004
Meaningless and fruitless attempts of the Belarusian authorities to stop distribution of independent information in Internet regarding the results of referendum and parliamentary elections, which started today in the afternoon, continue till now. The possibilities of the Belarusian viewers of Internet to read our site and sites of the Radio Liberty Belarusian service, Human rights organization “Viasna”, the United Civil Party and others are seriously limited. Using proxy-servers and anonymizers, by-passing filters, many constant viewers still read our site. It is also popular among viewers abroad. In the evening, at 8 p.m. Minsk time, all telephone lines, and mobile phones, by the help of which connection to the outside world was taking place, were disconnected, suddenly and simultaneously. We have to continue our work in Spartan conditions. Tomorrow, on October 18, it seems that the problems are to continue, as authorities would try to announce and justify its fantastic and insulting figures of the “triumphant” referendum. We declare our determination to continue work, so that you, our dear readers, could receive truthful information about the events in Belarus.
22:30, 17/10/2004
At the polling stations of Homel and Rechytsa not long before the end of voting observers recorded several similar violations of the Election Code. In Homel, in the district number 36, to raise the turnout, an hour before the voting ended, members of the election commission started to visit homes with transportable ballot boxes. An observer noted in particular that at the polling station number 19 members of the commission Shydlowsky and Smirnow visited houses and insistently urged them to take part in elections and referendum.
22:23, 17/10/2004
Alyaksey Mikhalevich and Vyachaslaw Sivchyk, two agents of a candidate Kanstantsin Lukashow, running in the constituency number 109 of Uruchcha district of Minsk, were not allowed to be present by votes counting.
22:22, 17/10/2004
“Zubr” activist Aliaksey Liavkovich was detained at 4 p.m. by police officers. Young man was distributing leaflets with call to summarize outcomes of elections and referendum on the 18th of October on Oktybrskaya square in Minsk. Protocol was drawn up for violating article 167-1 (violating legislation about street actions). For violating this article “Zubr” activist can be sentenced to 15 days of prison.
22:19, 17/10/2004
Leaflets that call people take part in summarizing outcomes of elections on 18th of October at 6 pm on Oktyabrskaya square in Minsk were strewed in the center of Belarusian capital. At about 5 p.m. leaflets with call “People against dictatorship” were thrown by three young people from bridge over Nemiga street - one of the most animated places of Minsk.
22:16, 17/10/2004
Aleksandr Lukashenko will meet with international observers on Monday to comment on the country's national referendum and parliamentary elections, according to the Belarusian leader's press office. On the same day, Mr. Lukashenko is also to meet with representatives of foreign non-governmental organizations who attended the voting process and hold a news conference for Belarusian and foreign reporters, the press office said.
19:56, 17/10/2004
The director of special projects department of the First Channel of the Russian TV (ORT) was detained at about 7.40 p.m. in Minsk by policemen. Now he is interrogated in the police department of the Soviet district of Minsk in connection with a fight, which was started by two unknown persons in mufti, according to preliminary information. Right after the assault policemen emerged and took Mr.Sheremet to the police department. To all appearances, the incident is connected to the fact that Sheremet has organized an extraordinary press conference in Minsk on the preliminary outcome of the voting at the parliamentary elections and referendum. We continue to follow the events.
19:32, 17/10/2004
Unknown offenders smashed two windows in the number 195 general education school on Minsk`s Mazurova Street, which housed three election precincts, at around 4 a.m. on Sunday. A police detail that arrived at 4.30 a.m. found windows of a classroom on the ground floor and a corridor on the first floor broken, a source with the interior ministry told BelaPAN.
18:32, 17/10/2004
The youth movement “Zubr” states that young people will come to the October Square in Minsk at 6 p.m., to sum up the results of voting together, and to openly say “No!” to the last dictatorship in Europe. “We have been watching for a long time how the authorities, that has thrust on us another referendum, were bombarding people with a flood of lies and cheap propaganda. The regime that is herding the country into the international isolation, at the expense of Belarusian tax-payers has organized an unprecedented propaganda show. This show is anything but fair and honest elections,” told one of the Zubr coordinators, Uladzimir Kobets at a press conference in Minsk. “We have received dozens of appeals of students all over the country that they were forced to polling stations and made vote earlier. They understand that it is made to rig their votes. They ask us if there will be some actions of opposition to defend the rights of people for fair voting. That is why on October 18 we are sure that many people, first of all the young, will come to the October Square”.
18:09, 17/10/2004
The European Coalition “Free Belarus” called upon the Belarusians to sum up the results of the parliamentary elections and referendum on October 18 at 6 p.m. in the October Square in Minsk. “Women have a right to protest in the kitchen. Men, if they do not agree to something, are to make a protest in the streets. In every country after the elections citizens are going in the streets, and they either celebrate the victory, or mourn together with their candidates. We call upon the Belarusians, first of all men, to come to the October Square in Minsk tomorrow at 6 p.m. to express their attitude towards the results of referendum and elections,” told Dzmitry Bandarenka on behalf of the European coalition “Free Belarus”.
17:40, 17/10/2004
Activists of several youth organizations of Serbia have carried out a demonstration in front of the Belarusian Embassy in Serbia and Montenegro. They protested against calling a referendum on changing the Constitution so that Lukashenka will be able to run for presidency for the third time. About one two dozens of people took part in the rally.
17:27, 17/10/2004
The chairperson of the Central election Commission of Belarus told about absence of law infringements during the parliamentary elections and referendum. “We have not received any complaints today. I am considering the complaints received yesterday and the day before yesterday. And observers of the so-called oppositional parties are submitting complaints on every nonsensical and trifling reason,” told Yarmoshyna at a press conference in Minsk.
16:56, 17/10/2004
The protest action against the undemocratic elections and referendum in Belarus were organized by the Belarusians in the Czech Republic today. According to the “Radio Svaboda” more than a half hundred of people took part in it.
16:55, 17/10/2004
Yesterday in the town of Smarhon’, in the constituency number 61, where Zinaida Bandarenka is running, People’s Artist of Belarus, the candidate of the United Civil Party, 6 OSCE observers were detained. They were interrogated in the local police department for an hour, informed the UCP press service.
16:44, 17/10/2004
At 3.03 p.m. 57.4% of voters took part in the national referendum and parliamentary elections in Belarus. This data shows that the elections in Belarus are valid, told the chair of the Central Election Commission Lidziya Yarmoshyna. As said by her, the elections and referendum are valid in all regions of the country.
16:43, 17/10/2004
“On October 18 at 6 p.m. the October Square in Minsk will host a protest rally. People who have overcome their fear will come to it, people who are not afraid and who are ready to go into the streets. We are not expecting that all “oppositional cook-house”, which amounts to millions of dissatisfied, will come. The problem is that people do not know that they are a majority. But thousands of people who are tired to being afraid, will come. And the work of opposition is to turn these thousand into millions,” told the leader of the United Civil Party Anatol Lyabedzka at the press-conference in Minsk. As we have informed before, during the action on October 18 the opposition is going to challenge the results of the parliamentary elections and referendum.
16:18, 17/10/2004
In Minsk at the polling station number 579 in the microdistrict Urucha policemen have made an attempt to arrest a film crew of Russian TV channel RENTV. The journalists came to the polling station at 2 p.m. It was completely empty, though the voting is to last till 8 p.m. As it turned out, all voters at this polling station have voted earlier. When the journalists tried to film the empty polling station, unknown in mufti ran to them and demanded to leave the place, and threatened by arrest if they would not obey. As a result the film crew of the Russian TV channel had to leave the station, told Elena Slav, the head of news office of the RENTV channel in Belarus to the Charter’97.
16:17, 17/10/2004
“Pro-Lukashenka Belarusian Republic Union of youth says that according to their polling 82% support changes in constitution. It confirms our information about outcomes of elections. 62% of participants of referendum are really going to “vote” for life-long governing of Lukashenka. They want it to fit figures that were announced earlier. We see unprecedented agitation in the day of elections. This is violation of law to announce data of exit-poll during the voting. Organizations that did it must be punished. Besides what results they speak about at 11 o’clock? This is madness. This people just were said to crow it as soon is possible,” – in this way chairman of Party of communists of Belarusian commented results of so-called exit-poll carried out by pro-president organizations: sociological center Ecoom, Belarusian Republic Union of youth and Youth union for fair elections. They say that more than 80% of those who voted supported idea of life-long governing of Aleksandr Lukashenka. This data in violation of legislation have been showed by Belarusian TV channels since the very morning.
Numerous Violations At Belarusian Referendum
14:46, 17/10/2004
In Belarus observers speak about numerous violations in the referendum on constitution change. At the moment in the country “there is not a single poling station, election district from which we have not received information about harsh and often inappropriate actions of Belarusian authorities,” told the director of the special projects of the First channel (Russia) Pavel Sharamet to the radio station “Ekho Moskvy”.
14:34, 17/10/2004
Mass arrests of the personnel of the Gallup Institute have started in Belarus, told Pavel Sharamet, former head of the news office of the ORT Channel in Minsk, now the director of the special projects of the ORT (First Channel), at a press conference in Minsk. According to his information, the workers of the Gallup institute who are carrying out exit polls at 20 polling stations in the country. The policemen have blocked the work of the interviewers at 120 polling stations already. At the moment we have information about 4 arrested interviewers. Three of them were detained in Orsha, and one in Mahilyow. At the same time, members of pro-president organizations like the Belarusian Republican Youth Union and the “Youth for fair elections”, an organization which has been unknown till recently, are performing exit polling without any obstruction. All of them report about surprising and incredible outcome – about 80% voted in support of lifelong presidency of Lukashenka.
14:03, 17/10/2004
The final results of the parliamentary elections and referendum on lifting the presidential term limit will be announced by Monday noon, said Lidiya Yermoshina, head of the central election commission.
14:02, 17/10/2004
Aleksandr Lukashenko said on Sunday that the ongoing referendum on lifting the presidential term limit serves as a means of checking the government`s course during the last decade. "If the people say "yes" and show their support, I will do my best to work harder and more confidently," official sources quoted him as saying as he exited a Minsk polling place.
13:05, 17/10/2004
Andrzej Lepper, a scandalous leader of Samoobrona political party from Poland, came as an observer to the parliamentary elections and referendum in Belarus. In the media Andrzej Lepper is often compared with Alyaksandr Lukashenka, and even with Stalin and Hitler. Lepper has always been supporting Lukashenka’s policy. Today he has already made a statement on the state-run First national TV channel, and in defiance of the electoral code, called upon to vote at the referendum for Lukashenka’s lifelong rule.
12:25, 17/10/2004
The observers pointed at violations during the early voting at the parliamentary elections and referendum, told Pavel Sharamet, one of the directors of special projects of the First Channel of Russian TV to the Radio station “Ekho Moskvy”.
11:42, 17/10/2004
Representatives of Belarusian democratic parties, public associations and organizations are holding several press conferences in Minsk today with the aim to give multifaceted information on the voting at the parliamentary elections, where some democratic candidates are still left, and at referendum. Press conferences are to take place at 1 p.m., 4 p.m., 7 p.m., 10 p.m. and 12 p.m. Minsk time. The staff of the Chater’97 is planning to cover the results of the press conferences throughout the whole day. The official version of the voting will be reported by the state-run TV-channels ONT and BT.
11:37, 17/10/2004
According to the official information, within the five days of early voting (from the12 to 16th of October inclusive) in the parliamentary elections and referendum, 17.39% of voters came to the polling stations. It was said by the secretary of the Central Election Commission of Belarus Mikalay Lazavik. At the same time, according to the information of independent observers, 25.21% of electorate took part in the five days of early voting.
11:32, 17/10/2004
Reporters of the Cahrter’97 press center, like other citizens of the Republic of Belarus, take part in voting at the parliamentary elections and referendum as well. One of our correspondents has made a series of pictures at his polling station, which is typical for Belarusian capital. It is a school building, and in its corridors commissions, polling-booths and an indispensable buffet are situated. The pictures were taken at about 9.30 a.m. Minsk time.
11:09, 17/10/2004
Unknown people in mufti demanded Czech journalist Miroslav Karas a videofilm with pictures, informed “Radio Svaboda”. Miroslv Karas is a journalist of the Czech television, accredited by the Foreign Ministry to cover the referendum and elections in Belarus.
11:06, 17/10/2004
A Belarusian press photographer witnessed a sensational event. At the polling station in Minsk school number 4 he took a picture of a batch of ballot papers where “Yes” had been marked already. Members of he election commission gave this ballot papers to elderly people who came to participate in early voting.
11:05, 17/10/2004, By Mara Bellaby, news.scotsman.com
Belarusians face a stark choice today when they vote in a referendum to scrap presidential term limits, a decision that could determine whether the 10 million-strong nation remains an isolated Soviet-style throwback.
10:54, 17/10/2004
Members of the observation mission of the Belarusian-Russian Parliamentary Assembly for Belarus` parliamentary elections and referendum criticized their OSCE colleagues while speaking at a news conference in Minsk on Friday.
10:50, 17/10/2004, Itar-Tass
The U.S. State Department puts pressure on international observers during the election campaign in Belarus, the Belarussian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Saturday. The U.S. Department is trying to make international observers in Belarus “to give a negative assessment to the election campaign,” the statement says.
10:49, 17/10/2004
Minsk-based diplomats representing several foreign countries obtained accreditation to monitor Sunday`s referendum and parliamentary elections. The observer status was granted to representatives of the embassies of the Czech Republic, Estonia, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and the United States, as well as China and North Korea.
10:49, 17/10/2004, By Valentinas Mite
On 17 October, Belarus will hold parliamentary elections as well as a controversial referendum to decide whether to amend the constitution to allow President Alyaksandr Lukashenka to run for a third term in 2006. The referendum is viewed in the West as an obvious bid by Lukashenka to prolong his rule. Lukashenka was first elected in 1994 and this is the third time he is seeking to use a referendum to remain in power.
10:46, 17/10/2004, The Associated Press
Belarusians vote on Sunday in a referendum to change this ex-Soviet republic`s constitution and allow its authoritarian president to run for a third term, but the United States and Europe doubt the election will meet democratic standards. The ballot could determine whether this Eastern European nation will remain an isolated Soviet-style throwback or slowly turn toward the West.
10:46, 17/10/2004
Students expressed their thoughts against participation in the pre-term elections in an open letter of the students of group 43 of the Belarusian Philology and Culture Department of the Vitsebsk State University to the Dean of the Department.
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