Horki and Drybin: Election Commissions of Districts Refuse to Register Observers

According to the press-service of the Assembly of NGOs

On 15 March at the sitting of Drybin District Election Commission there was considered the complaint of Mikalai Iurkou, whom the local citizens had nominated to the commission as an observer. Before he started collecting the signatures for his nomination, Mr Iurkou came to the commission and asked to explain in what form he was to compose and fill the application for his nomination. The commission gave to him a blank and explained how to fill it. The same day he returned with the filled blank and 30 signatures for his registration as observer. However, he was told he filled it in a wrong way and therefore wouldn’t be registered. 70-year-old Mikalai Iurkou immediately composed a complaint against it and demanded urgent response to it so that he could show it to international observers. Only then the commission registered him as an observer.

The chair of polling station #9 of the town of Horki Nikitsenka refused to register the observer Dzmitry Mikhaliou, saying he composed the application for the registration in a wrong way. Being asked how he was to compose it right, the chair of the commission answered she had no idea. By the way, at 10.30 a.m. on 15 March, when the observer, entered the polling station, there were no voting cabins and seats for observers - the workers have just started arranging the polling station (despite the fact that according to the law it was the second day of early voting and everything was to have been ready by 8 a.m. on 14 March).