News on the topic: Minsk
03.11.2008 Police detain 65 people coming to ‘Dziady’ action from Mahiliou
65 people who tried to get to Minsk for Dziady rally, were detained in Mahiliou by the police.
27.09.2008 Scandal: Ballot-stuffing recorded
A ballot box was opened during the lunch break from 2.00 to 4.00 pm at polling station #456 in Minsk, observer Vital Stazharou reports to ucpb.org. He came to the polling station after lunch and found out that seal on the ballot box didn’t look like at a photo, he took at 2.00 pm. At 4.00 pm, leader of the United Civil Party Anatol Liabedzka, who runs in this district (Staravilenskaya #5), and OSCE international observer from Estonia came to the station. Head of the commission Mikalai Lahunovich denies the fact of opening the box. He even said Vital Stozharau might stay for a night at the polling station. “It is clear that ballots were replaced in the box,” Anatol Lyabedzka thinks. “And unprecedented fact – the offer to stay for a night at the station – confirms the fact.”
26.09.2008 Minsk: Replacement of early voting ballot papers is to take place tonight
Friday, September 26th – is the “test” day for early voting. It is believed, replacement of ballot papers will occur tonight when the voting ends. Such a conclusion is made on the basis of information coming from staffers of different Minsk institutions and organizations.
25.09.2008 Minsk: Staff of the Academy of Sciences forced to vote early
Administration of the Academy of Sciences demands from its staff to vote early. Work contracts are the main method of pressure.
25.09.2008 Students who vote early get a day off
A student of Minsk Medical University told us, students who live in a student dormitory and vote early, are allowed by the administration to have a day off on Friday, so that the students from the regions can go home for the Election Day.
25.09.2008 Minsk: “Official” candidate Vital Busko uses administrative resource
Siarhei Yuranau, agent of Viktar Kavalchuk, candidate in Uskhodniaya district # 107 in Minsk, filed a complaint to district election commission about violation of the election legislation. Members of Kavalchuk’s initiative group report, his opponent – pro-rector of BSUER – violated seven articles of the Election Code by publication of his platform in Savetski Rayon Newsletter.
23.09.2008 Minsk: CEC does not consider proposals and complaints of opposition members “the global issues”.
The Central Election Commission ignores the majority of the proposals and complaints from the opposition representatives. The sense of practically all replies of the CEC leadership on the remarks and demands of the democrats can be described in one sentence: the raised issues are not worth wasting time on them. The last session of the Central Election Commission is another proof of that.
26.08.2008 Minsk: Rayon administrations conceal information about membership of precinct election commissions
Formation of precinct election commission ended almost two weeks ago, on August 13th. However, all interested parties of the election campaign still do not have complete information about members of Minsk precinct commissions. After August 13th when interested citizens, representatives of political parties and non-governmental organizations called rayon administrations to find out if their representatives had become commission members, they received similar answers: “You can read that in the press”. The only exclusion was organizational department of Savetski rayon administration: a representative of the Party of Communists of Belarus from election district # 106 made an inquiry and received all information he needs. Practice has shown, it is very difficult to receive information about all precinct commissions from Minsk press. A group of enthusiasts tried to do that in a joint effort and encountered the following:
