Brest: Candidate to Deputy Position Is Hounded by Tax Inspection

Here’s an excerpt from the electoral address by Iauhen Bialasin, a candidate to Brest city and Brest regional deputy soviets:

‘Several days after I was registered as a candidate to Brest city and Brest regional deputy soviets I was summonsed to Brest Maskouski borough tax inspection. The summons was signed by L.Siniak, the chair of the tax inspection. The tax inspection demanded from me an income declaration. They also threatened to fine me for non-presentation of the declaration in the case I didn’t come to them.



I told to a tax inspector Tatsiana Zhuk that I had already presented my income declaration to the appropriate election commission and all my documents are alright since I have been registered as a candidate. T.Zhuk knew about it, but wanted to verify the sources from which I paid for the purchased property. Several days later she started paying interesting to year 2004 and after this – to the first fees for flat, dated 2001.

That’s the way the elections are conducted here. Actually, the authorities have a presumption of guilt for those who don’t represent them.

I apply to my electors. I have no illusions about this ‘election’. It was purposefully appointed on Catholic and Orthodox Christmas and New Year, though it could be easily appointed to any other date. Election commissions again have no representatives of opposition among their members. We again have days of early voting and restrictions to electoral meetings. Besides, the authorities confessed having rigged the latest election on their own, nobody made them do it.