Collectors of Signatures for Registration of Alternative Candidates Pressurized in Vitsebsk

The commandant of the dormitory of Vitsebsk lyceum #5 prohibited to Ian Dziarzhautsau to collect signatures for registration of Zianon Pazniak. She said that they already put their signatures for Lukashenka and no one would be allowed to collect there signatures for anyone else. She also refused to introduce herself and directed the signature collector to the lyceum director. Radio Liberty managed to find out her name – Liudmila Zakharauna, but the surname remains unknown. She refused to tell it and didn’t want to come to the telephone, when the journalists called.

The lyceum director was absent, that’s why Mr. Dziarzhautsau had to apply to another duty official that could discriminate in the situation in accordance with the electoral legislation. That’s why he applied to the worker of Vitsebsk Borough Executive Committee Valiantsina Kazakouskaia who coordinated pre-electoral work. She answered that she had no influence on commandants of dormitories.

By the way, Pershamaiski borough of Vitsebsk is the borough that is the most frequently mentioned in connection with pressurization and threats from the side of the administration of different institution. Especially many complaints come from teachers, who are prohibited not only to collect signatures for alternative candidates, but even to sign for them for the fear of being fired.

There are also first firings. For instance, the mentor of the workmen’s dormitory of KIM enterprise Nina Kavaliova was made to retire for collecting signatures for registration of Aliaksandr Milinkevich, candidate of the united democratic forces. According to her, the administration made her retire by proposing knowingly unacceptable schedule of work to her. However, when she was writing the retirement note, vice-chair of Vitsebsk Pershamaiski Borough Executive Committee phoned and asked why so many signatures of Aliaksandr Milinkevich were collected in the borough.

Nina Kavaliova said she was fired for the fourth time during electoral campaign: she was also fired for oppositional activity before the referendum of 1995, on the eve of the presidential election of 2001 and in 2004 when she run for a deputy position at the parliament.