The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

News for September 2008

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.

28.09.2008 Preparation to closed passing of protocols to constituency commissions

Brest The head of the electoral commission of Brest-Tsentralnaya constituency #2 said to a member of the electoral commission Ryhor Bakiyevich that he would not be admitted during receiving of the protocols of precinct commissions about the results of voting.

28.09.2008 Malaryta: Seal at ballot box looks different

Observer Uladzimir Malei has registered the fact of change of the seal at the ballot box for early votes at polling staion #65 of Brest-Mukhavetskaya electoral constituency #65.

28.09.2008 Sample ballots contain peculiar ‘hints’

At some precincts the sample ballots are more than simple examples of filling these papers. In fact, citizens are ‘prompted’ for who they should vote. The matter is that the voting marks are put opposite non-real surnames that are similar to the surnames of the deputies of the Chamber of Representatives and pro-governmental candidates.

28.09.2008 Slutsk district: police help people to vote for ‘right man’

Today the coordinator of election monitoring in Minsk oblast Mikalai Pakhabau voiced a number of registered violations of the electoral legislation.

28.09.2008 Svetlahorsk: proxies of democratic candidate are taken to police station

On 27 September in Svetlahorsk the proxies of the democratic candidate Siarhei Daineka were guarded to the police station. Moreover, the police examined the private apartment of one of them.

28.09.2008 Hrodna: candidate Kuzmianok disappeared from list of electors

A unique precedent has been registered today at one of Hrodna precincts. When Siarhei Kuzmianok, a candidate running at Hrodna-Zaniomanskaya electoral constituency, came to the precinct to vote, he found that he and his family were not included in the electors’ list. Siarhei states that he has voted there for 15 years already, at different elections, but now his apartment ‘disappeared’ from the list of electors.