Another ‘electoral campaign’ to start in Belarus on 14 July

The campaign on election to the Soviet of the Republic is to start on 14 July, said the secretary of the Central Electoral Commission Mikalai Lazavik.

According to decree #345 of 24 June 2008, this campaign will last till 14 October. As said by Lazavik, the nomination of candidates to the Soviet of the Republic will start on 17 August and will be preceded by the study and choice of the possible candidacies. The nomination of candidates will end on 15 September and registration will be conducted on 16-20 September.

Bear in mind that the election to the upper chamber of the parliament is indirect: the ‘senators’ are elected by the deputies of the local soviets of deputies at their assemblies, by secret voting. The Soviet of the Republic consists of 64 members. Eight of them are appointed by Alexander Lukashenka, and eight deputies are to be elected from each of the seven regions of Belarus (Brest, Mahiliou, Minsk, Homel, Hrodna and Vitsebsk oblasts and the city of Minsk).