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MOST OF DISTRICT ELECTION COMMISSIONS FORMED OUT OF REPRESENTATIVES OF WORKING COLLECTIVES AND PEOPLE NOMINATED BY SIGNATURE COLLECTION. THERE IS DANGEROUS TREND TO CREATE DISTRICT COMMISSIONS OUT OF REPRESENTATIVES OF ONE ENTERPRISE.

2003 2003-01-30T10:00:00+0200 1970-01-01T03:00:00+0300 en The Human Rights Center “Viasna” The Human Rights Center “Viasna”
The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

According to the information, Viasna received from the Belarusian regions, big number of district election commissions were created out of the staff of one enterprise or institution.
City executive committees and borough administrations fully used their right to nominate members to election commissions from structural units of working collectives (including staff of state-supported institutions). They also did not miss the opportunity to nominate members to commissions on behalf of the citizens (by signature collection), who, in their turn, were employees of the same companies or institutions.
Formally, such procedure to nominate members to election commission does not violate the provisions of the Election Code. However, it shows the biased and non-democratic composition of the election commissions.
For instance, in Navapolatsk each district commission is represented by members of one working collective. Election commissions of Navapolatsk polling districts # 7 and 8 are created out of workers of state company "Naftan" and its structural units, polling stations # 9, and 37 – out of workers of "Palimer" state company. Other district commissions are represented by the working collectives of secondary schools, other companies and institutions of Navapolatsk.
Similar situation can be observed in Babruisk, where each district commission is represented by one working collective. Often an election commission, formed out of the staff of an enterprise, is headed by the director of this enterprise. District election commissions, located in the buildings of factory dormitories, are often headed by a person from dormitory or factory administration. For example, director of dormitory #5 of "Belshyna" factory is a member of election commission of polling station #72, which is located in the dormitory. Election commission # 76 is formed only out of representatives of technical college, and deputy college director among them. District election commission #70 is created out of teachers of secondary school # 8, and the principal of the same school.
At the same time, representatives of democratic political parties and non-governmental organizations, were not included into election commissions. The fact, that many election commissions are composed of the workers of one institution, increases the possibility, that the authorities will use the administrative resource to put pressure on expression of the voters' will.
Such method of forming election commissions violates the principles of independence of election commissions, and enables the usage of administrative resource.

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