Polatsk: different ‘equal’ conditions

Two candidates at Polatsk electoral constituency #28 conduct their electoral campaign in different conditions.

A pro-governmental candidate, officer of Vitsebsk oblast executive committee Piatro Yuzhyk has no problems receiving the agreements of the heads of Polatsk institutions and enterprises to organization of his electoral meetings. He has already had such meetings with the working collectives of the local beer and vine factories, Shklovalakno plant, the town clinic and hospital and the workers of the local housing economy. In some of the working collectives such meetings were conducted in the working time (which is prohibited by the Electoral Code). The people were obliged to come to them. Moreover, in some cases they had to listen to Yuzhyk during their dinner breaks.

When Yuzhyk’s rival, oppositional candidate Albert Markau, found out about it and came to one of such meetings, the guards of the factory where an electoral meeting was taking place did not let him in. That’s why Markau conducts his electoral campaign by paying visits to people’s apartments. This is the only way how he can familiarize them with his program.

The only meetings at which both candidates delivered their speeches were the official meetings at schools #13 and #15 in the suburbs of Nouka and Baravukha that were organized by Polatsk town executive committee.

Human rights activists for free elections