Another political farce being prepared?
- 1.02.2010, 14:57
Forming of territorial election commissions has been finished in Belarus. There are almost no oppositionists there.
The peculiarity of the current campaign is that under the present law one third of each territorial commission should be representatives of political parties and public associations. However the monitoring of the situation in the regions held by Radio Svaboda shows that contrary to the existing law representatives of opposition haven’t been admitted to the election commissions.
Hrodna Region
One oppositionist had been included in Hrodna regional and city election commissions, a representative of the United Civil Party has been invited to the regional commission, and “A Just World” party representative to the city one.
The leader of the regional branch of the United Civil Party Yury Istomin says that one member of the party had been nominated to the regional and city commissions by them.
“Our representative, Viktar Kakareka, joined the regional territorial commission. And today morning a session of Hrodna city executive committee took place, we nominated Alyaksandr Lemekh to the commission, but he hasn’t passed. Only a representative of “A Just World” was chosen,” Istomin said.
Has it become easier to oppositionists to get into election commissions?
“In summary, the preliminary results are the following: a so-called liberalization is underway, if we compare with the last local elections, there are some our representatives in territorial election commissions,” the leader of the regional UCP branch said. – “But on the other hand, looking at the procedure of nomination and consideration of our candidatures, it is the same as before, to my mind. The decisions are not taken at the sessions, I a democratic way, but decisions suggested by the executive committee are adopted. That is why I believe that at the moment Lukashenka and Yarmoshyna’s promises that this election would be the most democratic and liberal one, are not confirmed”.
As for the Belarusian Popular Front Party, it proposed its candidate to the city electoral commission, but he wasn’t put on the list. There were especially many candidates to the regional commission.
“A record-breaking quantity of nominations to the regional commission took place, 40, and in other regions no more than 25-30,” Yury Istomin said. “There were many people nominated by citizens, but at the session only a list of persons was announced which the regional executive committee wanted to see in the commission. There was no consideration of citizens’ applications as such, I think citizens can file petition to the court as their nomination hadn’t been considered”.
“For Freedom” movement submitted most of all candidatures to the regional election commission, 14. They were nominated by collection of citizen’s signatures, but none of the candidates was included in the commission.
“At the protocol department I was said that information about the composition of the commission and the reasons of failure to put our members on the commission could be learnt from Tsydzik, the head of the regional election commission. He said: well, what have I to do with that, I am not a member of the regional executive committee… I have made two written addresses, to the acting chairman of the regional executive committee Zhuk, and to the chairman of the regional council of deputies Karputs. Now I am waiting for official answers about the reasons why none of the members of “For Freedom” movement was not put on the list of Hrodna regional election commission,” said the regional representative of the movement Alyaksandr Zabambyuk.
23 applications have been lodged to Hrodna city territorial commission, including the ones from the head of the UCP city branch Uladzimir Slutski, the chairman of the regional; branch of the BPF Syarhei Malchyk, an activist of the Belarusian Social Democratic Hramada Uladzimir Hilmanovich and one of the representatives of “A Just World”.
But only a 75-year-old member of the Belarusian Party of United Leftists – A Just World, Jozif Nyachaj, was put on the commission.
In Slonim a representative of the Belarusian Popular Front Party Mikalai Barysik joined the membership of the district territorial commission. By the way, Slonim is the only district in the region where representatives of the united opposition made an appointment with the chairman of the regional executive commission before the results of the election were announced.
In Byarozauka Lida district out of 5 applications from “For Freedom” movement only one candidate, Alena Ihnatchyk, was put on the territorial commission. There won’t be any oppositionists in Lida in the regional territorial commission.
In Smarhon oppositionists decided that nothing is determined by territorial commissions, and didn’t send their representatives. The same decision was adopted in Astravets.
Homel Region
23 district territorial commissions, one city and one regional commission have been formed in Homel region. Nominees of the democratic parties and democratic public associations haven’t been invited there.
“All the sessions of the territorial commissions look the same,” the UCP members, a former chairman of Homel city council and city executive committee Svyatlena Galdade said. She hasn’t been put on the list of the regional territorial commission. “Nothing ahs changed. Everything had been prepared and rehearsed. I see no liberalization I do not feel it. No matter how people would try top persuade me that we should fight for mandates, I think that we should give it a serious thought. ‘A road leveler’ is already seen, it has been put in motion, and it won’t give way to anyone”.
Somewhere in the regions they tried to demonstrate that territorial commission allegedly had taken changed in consideration. But on closer examination the earlier promoted nominees of the regime were found. It was especially obvious in Zhlobin, where none of the democratic candidates have been put on the district commission. But they always have a place for tried-and-true cadres.
“They mask former heads of commissions, who had taken part in earlier elections. For instance, it is known that one of school headmasters was a head of a precinct commission. He was retired, and he becomes a member of the district commission though a council of veterans. And so on. The head of the ideology vertical becomes a member of the commission as a trade union representative, and he is most likely to be appointed a head of the commission. Thus, through the official NGOs an impression of “changes” is taking place. It is clear that election fraud is being prepared as it happened before,” said the leader of the district branch of “A Just World” Valery Rybchanka.
Brest Region
At the moment it is known that 5 nominees of the United Democratic Forces have been put on the territorial election commissions.
“A representative of the Belarusian Social Democratic Party (Hramada) has been put on the regional territorial commission. A representative of the Belarusian Party of United Leftists – A Just World has become a member of Brest city executive committee. There are also Communists in the territorial election commissions in Baranavichy and Kobrin,” a deputy chairman of the Belarusian Social Democratic Party (Hramada) Ihar Maslouski said.
Vitsebsk Region
Vorsha interregional coalition of the United Democratic Forces has nominated several its candidates to the city territorial commission.
They are Alyaksandr Kryvitski (the UCP) and Vasil Kabacheuski (A Just World), Uladzimir Krupnou (BSDP Hramada). A public association “Sayuz” (“Union”) has nominated its representative, a leader of the local branch of the Belarusian Popular Front Party Alyaksandr Shutau to the commission.
Alyaksandr Shutau said that the process of nomination to the members of the city council and city executive committee officials had taken just 10 minutes.
“There was no voting, the head of the organizational work department Uladzimir Kalachou produced a list of 13 previously approved candidates, and by a unanimous vote they were adopted. As a result, none of the representatives of the democratic forces is in the membership of the city election commission. It is formed out of members of the Communist Party of Belarus, a public association “Belaya Rus”, the Belarusian Republican Youth Union, veterans’ organisations, the Liberal Democratic Party…”, Alyaksandr Shutau said.
The same situation was not only Vorsha city, but in the Vorsha district election commissions. The representatives of the oppositional parties hadn’t been invited to the session of the district election commission, and they hadn’t been even informed about the day and place. When the procedure was finished, the chairman of the district organisation of “Just World” Minay Karniyenka and a Social Democrat from “Hramada” Anton Malisheuski were simply phoned and told they hadn’t been put on the commission.
Minsk Region
Minsk regional territorial election commission includes 13 persons who are members of regional branches, of the public association “Belaya Rus”, the Belarusian Republican Youth Union, the Belarusian Union of Women, the Belarusian Union of Veterans of the War in Afghanistan, the Belarusian Communist Party , the Liberal Democratic Party.
None of the representatives of the democratic opposition has been put on the regional territorial commission.
Mahilyou Region
None of the oppositionists has been put on the territorial election commissions in Mahilyou. But there are representatives of the pro-regime Communist Party, the BRYU, “Belaya Rus” are present in each commission.
Opposition nominated 9 its representatives to the territorial commissions in the region. In Maholyou they wanted 13 places in the commission consisting of 17 persons. Representatives of the BPF party, “A Just World”, Mahilyou Human Rights Centre and a charity “Kroplya Zhytstsya” (Drop of Life) failed to join the commission.
Members of MHRC have been informed that there was a mistake found in their documents. As said by officials, the BPF and “A Just World” allegedly violated the procedure of their candidates’ nomination. Documents had been submitted on behalf of regional organisations, but they should have filed them on behalf of city organisations.
19 persons applied to the election commission in Babrujsk. As said by an observer from the Belarusian Popular Front “Adradzhennya” Syarhei Lapitski, nominees of “Belaya Rus”, the BRYU, the Republican Women’s Union, the Communist Party of Belarus, the pro-regime trade union, and also “workers’ collectives” promoted workers have been put on the commission.
“It is clear that every candidate has been approved by a unanimous vote. The lists for voting were handed out in advance, only the date was to be filled in,” Lapitski said.
As explained by officials, the regional election commission was left without opposition as one of them cannot be its member, he is 71 year old, another has no permanent job and cares for a disabled child, the third one is a “hell-raiser”, he failed to pull together with members of Shklou district commission during the previous election. He detected facts of fabrication in the final protocols with election results.
“I was 100% sure that the events would happen like they happened. There is no disappointment. Everything is logical,” notes a 71-year-old nominee for a place in the commission, chairman of the regional branch of the Belarusian Party of United Leftists – A Just World, Valery Berazienka.
As said by the oppositionist, “the regime is very cruel with the democrats who want to take part in the elections: people are kick out from their working places, and they have no where to find job then”.