Opposition candidate removed from regional soviet race in Mozyr :: Charter'97 :: News

The election authorities in Mozyr have cancelled the registration of opposition activist Vladimir Telepun as a candidate for the Gomel Regional Soviet, accusing him of distributing leaflets that "incite social discord."

As Mr. Telepun told BelaPAN, he learned of the decision to remove him from the race after calling the district election commission to inform it about errors in materials featuring his profile.

According to the activist, the commission`s meeting, at which the decision was made, was not attended by Chairman Nikolai Belash.

Mr. Telepun said that the election authorities had removed him from the ballot to disrupt his January 7 campaign rally that was to be attended by former presidential candidate Aleksandr Milinkevich. However, the rally took place and the opposition leader spoke to a crowd of some 200 people who ignored police orders to leave the MNPZ oil refinery`s Palace of Culture.

Apart from this, the activist may have angered the election authorities by complaining to the local prosecutor`s office about irregularities in fixing the election district`s borders and designating venues for the distribution of campaign materials.