Vitsebsk: incidents during nomination to precinct commissions

The nomination of representatives to precinct election commissions came to an end. In the Vitsebsk oblast, the documents for nomination of representatives to the commissions could be passed even on 6 and 7 March till 5 p.m., as a duty was specially organized at the executive committees on these two days.

At the same time, there were registered some incidents. For instance, on 6 March the duty officer of the Kastrychnitski district executive committee refused to accept the documents for nomination of Khrystafor Zheliapau, coordinator of the For Freedom movement, to a precinct commission. She said that it wasn't an office day and threatened to call the police. Mr. Zheliapau lodged with the Central Election Commission a complaint on the fact of violation of the election laws.

The same day a 16-year-old girl asked Aliaksei Haurutsikau, activist of the Belarusian Social Democratic Party Narodnaya Hramada, to put his signature for nomination of her teacher to a precinct commission.

Mr. Haurutsikau also phoned to the Pershamaiski district executive committee to find whether the executive committee worked on 6 March, and was answered that it was a day-off and no documents on nomination to precinct commissions could be accepted.

Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections