Homel oblast: who constitutes the minority in constituency commissions?

In Homel oblast, only 1-2% members of constituency election commissions belong to opposition parties or NGOs that are not founded and or/supported by the state. For instance, the United Civil Party has 1% representation among 780 members of the 60 constituency commissions, the Belarusian party of United Leftists Fair World – 2% and ‘disloyal’ NGOs – 1%. The pro-governmental Communist Party of Belarus got a bit more – 3%.

34% members of commissions were nominated through collection of signatures, 20% - as activists of trade unions belonging to the Federation of the Trade Unions of Belarus (the official state federation of trade unions), 18 % - as representatives of working collectives, 6% represent the Belarusian Republican Youth Union (BRSM), 5% - Belaya Rus, 5% - veterans, 4% - the Union of Women (BRSM, Belaya Rus, veteran’s unions and the Union of Women are NGOs who either were founded by the state or receive the state support).

63% members of constituency election commissions are women, 37% - men.

According to official information, the age of the commission members varies from 21 to 86 years. 29% of them are 41-50, 26% - 31-40, 25% - 51-60, 5% - pensioners, 61-70 years old, and 2% - 71-86 years.

As stated by regional observers, the constituency commissions in Homel are headed by nobody but ideologists and executive officials who were nominated through collection of signatures, as representatives of pro-governmental NGOs (such as Belaya Rus) and trade unions (such as the Belarusian Trade Union of officers of state and other institutions).

Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections