Mahiliou: human rights defender appeals against determination of places for agitation

On 1 April, human rights defender Barys Bukhel lodged complaints with the Central Election Commission and the procuracy of Mahiliou region. He demands the reversal of the ruling of Mahiliou city executive committee on determination of the places for mass actions held by candidates for deputies for the purpose of canvassing.

By such means the human rights defender is trying to oblige Mahiliou city executive committee to ensure the safety of electors during electoral meetings and provide them with convenient conditions for such meetings as a result of determination of the sufficient number of the places where candidates for deputies and their proxies could hold such meetings without any obstacles.

’First of all, Article 45/1, part 1 of the Election Code doesn’t state that a state organ must determined just one place for agitation on the territory that is subordinated to it. Moreover, the word ‘places’ is in plural, whereas just one such place was determined in Mahiliou.

The majority of citizens of Mahiliou will have to move to the opposite side of the city in order to meet with a candidate. The third nuance is that any normative act assumes that its provisions will be executed literally and in aggregate and nobody is allowed to distort them by the actual practice of law-appliance and a formal approach.

Moreover, he points that the former building of the Culture Palace of the factory of man-made fiber remains the place for the mass actions, though it is in disrepair. In addition, the technical mistake in the address of the place for mass actions (it should be Chaliuskintsau Street 64A, not 64) still hasn’t been corrected.

Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections