State-run media intentionally hide jobs of precinct election commissions’ members

• 22.08.2008, 8:25

As an observer of the Belarusian Helsinki Committee has found out, precinct commissions in Baranavichy were mostly formed through nomination by labour collectives and collection of signatures.

Though a labour collective can put forward only one representative, 10-12 representatives of the same enterprise have become members of election commissions. Moreover, chairmen of commissions are mostly directors of other members of commissions according to their profession chain of command.

For instance, the chairman of the commission in Baranavichy constituency Zachodni No. 5 at the polling station No. 6 (Lyceum No. 1) is a headmaster of the Lyceum, Alyaksei Bychkouski, and members of the commission are representatives of this Lyceum (10 persons). The chairman of the commission of the precinct No. 24 (secondary school No. 14) is headmaster Mikalay Rudy, and 10 members of the commission are teachers of this school. At the precinct No. 36 the chief doctor of a hospital Henadz Labkovich is the chairman of the commission, and the commission members are 9 workers of this medical institution. The same situation is in majority of other electoral commissions in this constituency, as well as in Baranavichy Uskhodni constituency No. 6 and Baranavichy rural constituency No. 7.

By all accounts, that is the reason why publishing the lists of commission members, state-run newspapers do not reveal information about where they work. Observers are not given this information by executive committee as well. And the only aim of this is simple. People who are subordinated to chairmen of commissions at their workplaces, cannot disobey during the elections, and would do as they are told, the campaign “Human rights activists for free elections” reports.