Maryna Adamovich: “Refusal to register Statkevich’s initiative group violates the law”

Maryna Adamovich, the wife of political prisoner Mikalai Statkevich, and head of his campaign team, argues that the refusal to register his initiative violates the Electoral Code.

The application was rejected since Mikalai Statkevich is in prison, and thus he cannot run in the elections.

“They gave opportunity to Uladzimir Niakliayeu and me to ask questions. I surely used this right and pointed at a violation of the legislation and the fact that we addressed a completely different question – not the question of registration of the candidate, but the question of the will of the citizens to register the initiative group of Mikalai Statkevich. After all, no one knows, he may be released and rehabilitated tomorrow.”

Maryna Adamovich also told the CEC of certain points of the Electoral Code, which show that the law separates these two processes - the registration of the initiative group and candidate registration. Article 68 of the Electoral Code contains a provision, which states that the applicant must submit a biographical data including the data on the former conviction or criminal record. This means that the law provides for the registration of initiative groups and an attempt to be nominated of a person who has a criminal record.

“After the parliamentary elections, the Electoral Code was amended to allow candidates to register in only one constituency. I think that after these elections Article 68 may be also amended or cancelled. The last thing I told the representatives of the Central Executive Committee was that now it was evident that Mikalai Statkevich would not be a clown in this puppet show, but would fight under his own program.”

The activists are planning to appeal against the refusal to register the initiative group to the Supreme Court, simultaneously campaigning for the release of Mikalai Statkevich.

Source: palitviazni.info