The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

The independent observers who were present at the sittings of the executive committees on the formation of the PECs were surprised and indignant – how can 60 or 70 election commissions be formed for some 10 or 15 minutes, by voting for all lists of commissions at once without any discussion of the candidacies? The naïve observers were explained that the draft compositions of the commissions had been composed in advance by the specially established ‘working groups’.

The Svetlahorsk District Executive Committee included in the precinct election commissions (PECs) of the district only 2 out of the 22 representatives of democratic forces. No representatives of the Belarusian Popular Front were included because the minutes about their nomination to the commissions allegedly contained a mistake.

The case of the ‘representative’ of the precinct election commission, which was reported earlier, is not the only one in Svetlahorsk (Homel region). The women who visit people’s apartments and verify the lists of electors introduce themselves as members of precinct election commissions. Meanwhile, the commission hasn’t been formed yet.

The case was considered by the Deputy Chairperson of the Svietlahorsk District Court Halina Svidunovich. Predictably enough, the complaint was dismissed and the ruling of the Svietlahorsk District Executive Committee and the Presidium of the Svietlahorsk District Council about the formation of the Svietlahorsk District Election Commission was found lawful. Thus, the local entrepreneur, representative of the Belarusian Leftist Party Fair World Henadz Zhuleha wasn’t included in the commission.

The Zhlobin District Court (Homel region) a complaint against the non-inclusion of the representative of the United Civil Party Valiantsin Yauzrezau in the Zhlobin District Election Commission. The Deputy Chairperson of the Zhlobin District Executive Committee Uladzimir Kastsiaikou was summoned to the trial as a witness and told about the formation of the commission.

The Svetlahorsk lyceum of chemists has nominated its candidates to the Homel oblast and the Homel oblast Soviets of Deputies.

On 29 October Judge Vital Vashchylin of Svetlahorsk District Court fined Sviatlana Mikhalchanka, local Belarusian Party of Communists leader, BYR 1,225,000 for illegal distribution of the party’s newsletter ‘Left March’ at the Lausan plant entrance on 3 September. The verdict was based on inconsistent evidence by police captain Andrei Sauchanka and a number of the plant’s officials.