Baranavichy: Siarhei Housha filed complaint to Central Election Commission
On 2 November
observer Siarhei Housha filed a complaint with the Central Election Commission concerning
actions of the Baranavichy Town Territorial Election Commission (TEC).
He states that he had repeatedly asked the Brest TEC to
inform him about the date and time of the sitting where
the signature sheets passed to the commissions by the campaign teams of the
potential candidates for president would be counted and a part of them would be
selected for verification. On 30 October the member of the election commission
Leanid Chukho answered Mr. Housha that the sitting hadn’t taken place and he
would be obligatory invited there as an observer.
However,
on 1 November in the morning the commission Chairperson Tatsiana Latyshava
stated that the sitting had already taken place on 29
October and the signatures sheets were being verified, and Mr. Housha wasn’t
informed about it because she was on vacation (!?). When Siarhei Housha asked
to be admitted to verification of signatures in accordance with his
application, she answered that such a right wasn’t provided by the law.
Thus, in the opinion of Housha, the Baranavichy TEC
violates one of the main principles of the election - the principle of openness
and transparency, creating artificial obstacles to his lawful activities as
observer.
In view of these facts Siarhei Housha asks the CEC to:
1) give a legal assessment to the actions
of the Baranavichy TEC;
2) amend Ruling #49 of the Central
Election Commission dated 15 September 2010
On the procedure of part 3 of
Article 13 of the Electoral Code of Belarus during the preparation and holding
of presidential elections in Belarus in 2010 to ensure that the territorial
and precinct election commissions obligatory inform the accredited observers about
the date and time of their sittings.
Human
Rights Defenders for Free Elections
