Figures of voter turnout are fictional, says Mahiliou HR activist

Uladzimir Krauchanka, head of the Mahiliou Human Rights Center, lodged complaints with Mahiliou Regional Prosecutor’s Office, the Mahiliou Regional Election Commission and the Central Election Commission, demanding to cancel election results with pre-rigged minutes and carry out an inspection of the election commissions’ papers to verify the authenticity of voters’ signatures put down during the issue of ballots. He also demands to initiate criminal proceedings for rigging the voting results and violating Articles 13 and 15 of the Electoral Code. Meanwhile, the activist mentions numerous facts recorded during the observation.

According to the estimations of the Mahiliou Human Rights Center, only 18% of voters cast their ballots in the city of Mahiliou, which goes against the official data.

For instance, at polling station #24 only 523 voters cast their ballots, with 2,923 electors in the constituency, i.e. 18%; at polling station #25 – 442 out of 2,081 (21%); at polling station #27 – 425 out of 2,631 (16%).

‘The same figures were recorded at the remaining polling stations,’ says Mr. Krauchanka.

‘To artificially increase the voter turnout, the commission members added several votes to one of the candidates. This was done through increasing the number of voters who took part in the early vote campaign and ‘home vote.’ ‘Home vote’ results are especially striking. E.g. according to the official minutes of polling station #27, 382 voters cast their ballots at home. However, the average estimated time for visiting all of them is 47 seconds per elector. Such a speed is absolutely unbelievable,’ says the expert.

Apart from that, the human rights activist says that the commissions’ members deliberately rigged the voting results, which is confirmed by numerous facts.

On 23 April observer Natallia Smakhvalava was denied access to interim voting results posted on an information stand in school #40 of Mahiliou.

At 17.00 24 April she was told that 274 persons had taken part in the early vote. The next morning the official figure was 876 voters. The observer claims that the election commission increased the voter turnout by at least 850 points.

The election commission at polling stations #24, 25, 26 and 27 failed to announce the results of the early vote campaign. Nor were the observers allowed watching the vote count. There was no voting on the final results, which in turn were not made public.

Besides, the expert says that the observers’ work was interfered with by the police.

At polling station #25 a policeman Artur Balonishnikau threatened an observer with penalties for his desire to receive information from the election commission.

‘The figures of voter turnout are absolutely fictional and do not reflect the actual will of the citizens,’ says Mr. Krauchanka.

‘Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections’