The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

News for 28 Sep 2008

28.09.2008 Vitsebsk: Where’s the truth?

The situation at precincts #21 and #22 of Vitsebsk-Chyhunachnaya electoral constituency #19 is quite interesting. Precinct #21 is situated on the territory of the clinical hospital and #22 – on the territory of military unit #52400.

28.09.2008 Unauthorized person sealed ballot box for five days

Only today, on 28 September, it has been found that Iryna Ivaniushkina, a member of precinct commission #15 of Baranavichy district electoral constituency #5 was fooling the observers Mikalai Severtsau and Yauhen Dauhilovich during the five days of early voting.

28.09.2008 Miracle in Mazyr: agitation stands appear… after the end of agitation period

Recently an election observer Uladzimir Tseliapun has complained to the head of Mazyr district executive committee A.Lis and Mazyr town procuracy about non-implementation of the ruling of Mazyr district executive committee for provision of places for agitation production. On 28 September the information stands suddenly appeared, though the agitation stage is already over.

28.09.2008 First detentions in Minsk

The first detentions on the eve of the action of protest in Kastrychnitskaya Square have been registered already. Several hours ago the police detained a youth activist Uladzimir Shved near the apartment of the deputy-head of the Young Front Arthur Finkevich.

28.09.2008 Svislach: commission controls for who electors vote

In the village of Zamki in Svislach district of Hrodna oblast electors are given ballots without signatures of commission members. Only after an elector fills a ballot, it is signed by a member of an electoral commission and then returned to an elector, so that he could throw it into the ballot box.

28.09.2008 Mahiliou: attempt to expel observer from polling station

Drawing up an act about violation of the electoral laws is interference with the activities of the commission’s work, this is the way such actions of observers are considered by the head of precinct commission #98 of electoral constituency #86.

28.09.2008 Hrodna: Observer reports about democratic counting of votes ahead of time

Election observers managed to make a copy of a unique document – ‘Act on counting of votes’ that lied on the table of the head of the head of precinct electoral commission #19 of Hrodna-Tsentralnaya constituency #50 A.Turkovich.

28.09.2008 Is there any truth in Yarmoshyna’s words?

Today the head of the Central electoral commission Lidziya Yarmoshyna has stated that at a polling station in Babruisk the OSCE observers had thrown down a ballot box and kicked it with their feet. In addition, they allegedly demanded that the electors gave their ballots to them.

28.09.2008 Hrodna: illusion of transparent elections is created for international observers only

According to Halina Ashmiana, an observer at polling station #3 of Hrodna-Zaniomanskaya electoral constituency #49, says that the head of the commission told the observers to sit in a place from which they could not see the ballot box.

28.09.2008 Homel: commissions forge turnout

The numbers of certain polling station commissions considerably exceed the numbers of long-term observers.

28.09.2008 Barysau: ‘Emphasis’ on ambulatory voting

According to the information of a candidate for deputy at Barysau town electoral constituency #62 Viktar Harbachou, the number of electors who expressed the wish to vote at home rapidly increased.

28.09.2008 Minsk: 'Mismatches' at polling stations

Few people come to the polling stations of Minsk on the Election Day. However, according to the electoral commissions the turnout is very high – several hundreds at each polling stations.

28.09.2008 Where have ballot boxes gone?

At polling station #4 in Hrodna-Tsentralnaya electoral constituency the observers saw that there were no ballot box for early voting. Being asked where the ballot box was, the head of the commission answered that it was in his office, in the safe. Nobody knows where the ballot box really is. It still has not been brought to the polling station.

28.09.2008 No information to observers and proxies

In Babruisk no information is given to candidates’ proxies. On 27 and 28 September a proxy of candidate Alexander Chyhir received a refusal at polling station #33 of Babruisk village electoral constituency #80. The head of the commission refused to tell the number of those who voted early. He said he did not know.

28.09.2008 Baranavichy: are Belarusian observers less important than international ones?

An election observer Mikalai Severtsau stated that precinct electoral commission #15 of Baranavichy-Zakhodniaya electoral constituency #5 refused to provide any information for him, whereas international observers received such information without any problems.