How votes are counted: eyewitnesses' account (Video)

• 3.05.2010, 10:06

The candidate for deputy Franak Vyachorka states that at his election precinct members of the election commission placed false voting ballots into the ballot box.

Out of 40 electoral districts in Mozyr there were non-alternative elections in 38 districts. In the district number 25 two candidates were nominated: pro-regime Syarhei Karobkin, a former official of the district administration, and an oppositionist, a former leader of "Moladz BNF" youth organisation, who had been drafted to military service forcibly in January 2009. In his blog Franak wrote about these events.

Residents of the hostel, workers of the woodworking enterprise, soldiers of the military unit number 48694 were forced to take part in the early vote. It order to increase the turn-up, fictitious names and names of the deceased were added to the lists of voters. The total number of voters as of March 25, 2010 was 2793, and during the early vote on April 23 - 3099. On April 25 overnight the ballot box for early voting was opened. The side piece is opening, and the ballot box remains sealed. Ballots were exchaned by ballots in support of S. Karobkin. Out of 772 votes of early voting there were just a few for Vyachorka, and 99% for Karobkin, Franak Vaychorka states.

As the former candidate for deputy writes, before the polling station was closed on April 25, the deputy chairman and the secretary of the election commission placed several ballots into the ballot box. It was recorded by an observer, who could not see however how many ballots were thrown in. When the observer left the room for a few seconds as an experiment, members of the commission rushed to ballot boxes to place ballots there. Before the vote counts on April 25 every member of the commission (two of 11 refused) every member ofthe commission recieved 30-40 additional voting ballots in support of the pro-regime candidate. They held the ballots in their laps unde clothes. When the contents of the ballot boxes was emptied on the table, members of the commission secretly places ballots to the common quantity. According to observers, 443 persons took part in the vote on the main day of voting. 1108 ballots were in the ballot box. 665 ballot votes were placed by the members of the commission, and all ofthem were in support of S. Karobkin. It was visible during the vote count that ballots for Karobkin were thrown in in packs.

Observers were not allowed to come near the table where the vote count was held. Music was turned on loud, for talks between the members of the commission not to be heard. They were sorting ballots in silence, placing them in piles, but do not count them. The final counting is held by the chairman of the commission, the deputy chairman and the secretary in different piles. Ballots are packed in paper, sealed, and figures at each of the piles are written in pencil. The oiles are taken to a different room. Even during the repeated counting it would not be possible to prove which voting ballots were true, and which were thrown in.

Then the chairman of the commission and the secretary added up the figures for everything to tally. The number of voters is cut to 2836 persons (there were 3099 initially), the number of participants of the early vote - to 772 (as compared to 790). The results of the count are not announced. They could be read in the protocol which is placed inthe lobby. 14% for Vyachorka, more than 80% for S. Karobkin. The election commission scatters in a hurry.