Candidate Refused to Communicate with a Non-state Newspaper

Miechyslau Kastsiuk, a parliamentary candidate from Slonim (Hrodna region) and his authorized representative Mikalay Lishyk refused to answer a number of questions, put by a «Gazeta Slonimskaya» correspondent Mikalay Kananovich. The questions were related to thecandidate's election pledges.

Instead of a well-grounded answer to M. Kananovich's written inquiry, the candidate's authorized representative briefly informed the journalist on September 23, 2008 that an interview with M. Kastsiuk was prepared for publishing in the state-owned «Slonimski Viesnik» newspaper at the moment. «The interview will contain answers to the voters' most urgent questions», M. Lishyk stressed in the letter of response.

Thus, the «Gazeta Slonimskaya» readers will have an opportunity of getting answers to the election-related inquiries from the other parliamentarian candidate Ivan Shega only.

A "Narodnaya Vola" Photographer Wasn't Allowed to Take Pictures of Early Vote

Press Service of Belarusian Association of Journalists

Yury Dziadzinkin, a correspondent of «Narodnaya Vola» non-state daily hasn't been permitted to make photos at a polling station where theearly voting started.

Reportedly, he came to a polling station No.398 in Minsk at 10.50 am on September 23, 2008, having a «Narodnaya Vola» press card with him. However, the election committee members didn't permit him to take pictures, referring to a ban, introduced by the polling station's Chairman Elman Khosieu. Surprisingly, the Chairman was absent at the polling station at that moment.

The Central Election Committee's Secretary Mikalai Lazavik believes that the refusal was explained by the journalist's inability to set «humane relations» with the election committee members. Still the state official acknowledged in his interview to the BAJ Press Service that a ban on holding journalist activity at a polling station is a violation of the Belarus' Election Law (article 13).