Voitovich urges election authorities to remove Lukashenko from race :: Charter'97 :: News

Aleksandr Voitovich, an ex-chairman of the Council of the Republic (upper parliamentary house) who withdrew from the country`s presidential race in January, has appealed to the central election commission to annul the registration of incumbent leader Aleksandr Lukashenko as a presidential candidate because of numerous violations of the constitution and the Electoral Code.

Dr. Voitovich insists that the national referendum in 2004 that allowed Mr. Lukashenko to run for a third term was unconstitutional, and that the incumbent uses his powers to drum up the population`s support, which runs counter to Article 73 of the Electoral Code. The article bans a candidate from using the advantages of his/her official position for election purposes, which means, among other things, that candidates may not use in their campaign persons who are in professional or other subordination to them.

Article 77 of the Electoral Code requires that candidates for President shall be exempted from performing their employment functions for the period between the date of registration as a candidate and the polling day. An exception is only made for the incumbent president who runs for a second term, Dr. Voitovich says.

In addition, he stresses, almost all state media outlets act in violation of the Electoral Code`s Article 74, which requires equal access to the media for all candidates. The state television networks "are conducting an all-out campaign" for the reelection of Mr. Lukashenko, constantly broadcasting his speeches and interviews, whereas his opponents receive very little coverage, are represented as enemies of Belarus and the Belarusian people, and are denied the opportunity to appear on television to "respond to the mud and slander slung on them," Dr. Voitovich says.