Mahiliou: complaints of members of Belarusian Christian Democracy are dismissed

On 1 April, Mahiliou regional election commission considered at its sitting the complaints of Aliaksandra Siianava and Viachaslau Sheleh, members of the organizing committee of the Belarusian Christian Democracy.

The activists complained against their non-registration as candidates for deputies of Babruisk town Council of Deputies.

The formal reason for the non-registration was that 6 signatures (18% of the total number of the collected signatures) in support of Viachaslau Sheleh were invalid, which exceeds the 15% limit determined by the Election Code. Aliaksandra Siianava didn’t mention eight shares in her income declaration. She bought these shares in 1992-1994 and forgot about them long ago.

At the same time, Mahiliou regional election commission didn’t find any violations and registered the both of them as candidates for Mahiliou regional Council of Deputies.

’The regional election commission checked the same set of signatures,’ says Viachaslau Sheleh. ‘However, unlike Babruisk town election commission, it found only three invalid signatures, and I agree with this decision.’

Having considered the complaints, Mahiliou regional election commission upheld the decision of Babruisk town election commission.

’We demanded from them to consider our question and either register us as candidates for Babruisk town Council of Deputies and Mahiliou oblast Council of Deputies, or deprive us of registration in both cases. However, the higher instance left the decision standing. It can be also connected with the fact that we have already spent the means that were issued to us for agitation,’ says Viachaslau.

V.Sheleh also states that he wasn’t issued a copy of the act of verification of signatures. He lodged a complaint about it, but it wasn’t granted. In his answer, Chairperson of Babruisk town election commissions, Viatkin, wrote that the Election Code didn’t oblige the commission to issue the acts about the results of verification of electors’ signatures to the persons who were denied registration as candidates.

’In connection with these events, I directed a telegram to the Central Election Commission with the request to dismiss Mr. Viatkin, Chairperson of Babruisk town election commission, from his position because of numerous violations of the election legislation,’ says Viachaslau.

’The BCD members were registered as candidates for Mahiliou regional Council of Deputies because of low competitiveness. If they weren’t registered, there would be non-alternative constituencies, whereas in Babruisk there are several candidates at their constituencies. That’s why they weren’t registered there,’ points Mr. Bukhel.

Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections