It would be harder for opposition to reach voters :: Charter'97 :: News

During the fall session Belarusian “chamber of representatives” plans to consider amendments to Electoral Code, which would be tried out in January 2007 during the elections to local Soviets. “We are preparing two variants of holding local elections, one based on the old law, and another based on the new law,” told the chairperson of the Belarusian Central Elections Committee Lidziya Yarmoshyna to “Vremya Novostey”. As said by her, “pre-election meetings in public places would be regulated. It would be required to receive sanction of local executive committees for their holding”.

The Electoral legislation is to be brought in line with the results of the referendum in 2004, which lifted a constitutional restriction for two presidential terms for one person.

As said by Yarmoshyna, the CEC had made some more proposals to amend the law to make “elections campaigns more effective”. Most noticeable changes concern local elections, which are to be held in one round, not in two. “If deputies would agree to adopt this amendment, we shall manage to make elections cheaper,” the CEC chairperson. As said by her, it is not planned to decrease the number of votings at parliamentary and presidential elections.

As for “regulating pre-election meetings in public places”, opposition has already encountered problems of renting premises during the presidential campaign this year. Oppositionists had to hold meetings with voters in the open air. In case the amendments would be passed, opposition would have to come through a long procedure of receiving sanction for pre-election meetings with voters.

“The authorities fear penetration of unwelcome elements to local Soviets and try to limit opportunities of democratic forces. Amendments to the law are a reaction to our initiatives,” told the leader of the united opposition Alyaksandr Milinkevich to “VN”. He plans to become an election agent of many candidates to local Soviets, in order to have a possibility to hold meetings with voters. Lukashenka’s opponents do not expect to get many seats, but hope to use the pre-election campaign for sharing their ideas.

Opposition’s attitude towards supposed restrictions for meetings with voters was calm. “To say the truth, we do not care at all about that. We have an intention to use electoral campaign for solving our tasks, and amendments by the regime would not affect realization of our plans,” told to the “VN” the leader of the United Civil Party Anatol Lyabedzka.