CEC Considers Complaints about Non-Registration of Candidates

Central Election Commission started to consider complaints of non-registration of candidates at parliamentary election on September 21.
Non-registered candidates have 3 days to appeal CEC decision to the Supreme Court.

In the morning CEC members considered 15 complaints about non-registration from candidates of Hrodna region. One complaint was satisfied. In the afternoon CEC heard the complaints from Minsk region candidates. Five out of 14 complaints were satisfied.

Hrodna region:

Satisfied:

1. Appeal of V.B. Chervonenka against the decision of district election commission of Vawkavysk election district # 50.

Appeal consideration postponed:
1. Appeal of Yaraslaw Ramanchuk against decision of district election commission of North-Hrodna election district # 53.
Ramanchuk was denied registration because he had allegedly failed to indicate a car in his property declaration. However, Ramanchuk presented a document that the car was sold on December 27, 2002, and from that moment on he did not own the car.

Appeals not satisfied:

1. Appeal of Yury Istomin against the decision of district election commission of Hrodna-Zaniomanskaya election district # 51.
Reasons for registration denial: improper information about his occupation. Istomin indicated that he is a legal consultant, but failed to indicate he also had the status of a private entrepreneur; campaigning during signature collection.

2. Appeal of Raisa Masko against the decision of district election commission of Hrodna-Zaniomanskaya election district # 51.
3. Appeal of Anatol Ivanchyk against the decision of district election commission of Hrodna-Central election district # 52. The reason for denial of registration – inaccurate data in income declaration, he failed to indicate the real amount of his pension.
4. Appeal of Vital Milashewski against the decision of district election commission of Hrodna-Central election district # 52. The reason for denial of registration – signatures of residents of different neighborhoods were located at the same signature sheets.
5. Appeal of Tadeusz Gavin against the decision of district election commission of Hrodna rural election district # 54. The reason for denial of registration – over 15% of signatures recognized invalid. Tadeusz Gavin states: “I insist that there was fraud during signature count. This is a political order. People were pressurized. People were visited by election commission members accompanied by district police officer and local officials. People were forced to sign blank letters”. In the end Tadeusz Gavin addressed CEC chairperson Lidia Yarmoshyna: “You will falsify both parliamentary election and referendum”.
6. Appeal of Ivan Stashkevich against the decision of district election commission of Iwye election district # 55. The reason for denial of registration – inaccurate income data.
7. Appeal of Siarhei Skrabets against the decision of district election commission of Lida city election district # 56. The reason for denial of registration – inaccurate data in income declaration. In his speech Siarhei Skrabets pointed out: “to appeal to the consciousness of CEC members is to argue with a sentence executor. The decision has been prepared in advance”.
8. Appeal of V. Yarmola against the decision of district election commission of Lida city election district # 56.
9. Appeal of Stanislaw Sudnik against the decision of district election commission of Lida rural election district # 57. The reason for denial of registration – over 15% of signatures recognized invalid.
10. Appeal of Mikalai Yashkaw against the decision of district election commission of Slonim election district # 60. The reason for denial of registration – failed to indicate his status of a private entrepreneur.
11. Appeal of Ivan Sheha against the decision of district election commission of Slonim election district # 60. The reason for denial of registration – over 15% of signatures recognized invalid. CEC nonvoting member Ales Bialatski said: “This is a borderline case. He is missing only one signature to have enough signatures for registration. That’s why I would ask you to pay more attention to his case. Mr. Sheha did not have an opportunity to look through the signature sheet and see where the signature collection procedure was violated. Mr. Sheha also claims that voters were pressurized during signature check-up. This makes the decision of the district election commission doubtful. That’s why I would ask for a moro detailed examination. May be one signature will be responsible for the fate of a person respected in the district – local Councilor, a doctor, known by many. Denial to Mr. Sheha is a sign of political will of the local authorities, may be, not only local ones”.
12. Appeal of Henadz Urbanovich against the decision of district election commission of Slonim election district # 60. The reason for denial of registration – over 15% of signatures recognized invalid. In his speech Henadz Urbanovich claimed members of his initiative group experienced pressure from the district election commission.
13. Appeal of Tadevush Kruchkowski against the decision of district election commission of Shchuchyn election district # 62. The reason for denial of registration – over 15% of signatures recognized invalid. In his speech Tadevush kruchkowski claimed: “I think from the very beginning of the election campaign candidates did not enjoy equal conditions. We were deprived of information about legal aspects of the campaign. Also, I, as a representative of ethnic minority, was discriminated by the authorities in Shchuchyn-Voranava district, where Polish minority constitutes 70% of the population”.