Salihorsk: canvassing conditions vary

Salihorsk town authorities keep using various kinds of means of gumming up the election campaign of the local independent candidate Aliaksei Valabuyeu. The latest trends include stripping off the candidate’s posters. Besides, heads of local state-owned enterprises resist posting Mr. Valabuyeu’s posters on their agitation stands, despite official permit by the executive committee.

The candidate’s campaign team stress that most of the officials refer to the absence of a special permit by the executive committee. The problems are usually solved by oral application to the district election commission. ‘However, such a means takes much time. It takes 25-30 minutes to post one poster,’ says Andrei Tychyna, activist of Aliaksei Valabuyeu’s campaign team.

At the same time, Mr. Valabuyeu’s rival colonel Zainchkouski keeps using the administrative resource – his leaflets are distributed by staff of the town’s state enterprises and the executive committee. ‘Strangely enough, they do not even hide that. We met a lady from ‘Salihorsk-Handal’, who openly said that she was ordered to post leaflets in her working hours by the state enterprise’s management,’ says Mr. Tychyna.

‘Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections’