Elections are invalid in most constituencies of Homel
During the six days of the voting observers of the United Democratic Forces counted the number of voters and compared their figures with the figures of the commission. Observers state that falsifying the numbers of those who cast a vote was noticed first during the early vote.
‘6% of voters came to my polling station #29. It is very little. My figures coincided with the information of the commission, and I didn’t think I was counting wrong. I had good relations with the secretary of the commission, and I think, it prevented them from rigging the results. I told about trials and arrests of our activists who fight for truth, I told that even in 10 years election rigging can be punished. I think they were frightened,’ told an observer Zinaida Shumilina to Human rights activists for free elections.
On the day of elections commissions at these polling stations tried to increase turnout. Observers so members of these commissions organizing some kind of agitation brigades. By phone and through house intercoms they invited people to come and vote.
6% have voted at the polling station #30 in advance, and 28% of the main Election Day. Observer Liudmila Sudzilouskaya says that only 34% of voters have taken part in the voting. The commission overplayed this figure at 41%, however agreeing the vote was not valid.
In Homel region close monitoring was organized by the democratic forces at 53 control polling stations. In order to find out the real turnout, observers counted those who had voted during the six days of elections. Observation’s coordinator Vasily Palyakou says that the real turnout of voters is much less then the official one at all the control polling stations. If the commissions were not manipulating with the figures, the election could be recognized valid in just 2 out of 6 constituencies in Homel.
‘We have organized observation at 11 polling stations in Homel Savetskaya constituency’, Vasil Paliakou says. ‘And the voters’ turnout was less than 40% in each of them. However, officially the turnout is about 52%. Proceeding from the fact that the commissions of polling stations #29 and #30 polling stations haven’t agreed to deceit and falsifications, we see the real results of turnout and candidates’ support. Thus, the official winner of the vote in the polling station #34, Larysa Kuzniatsova, won 54%, and only 27% at the 29th polling station for some reason.
