Forged boxes or Belarusian LEGO (Photo)

• 24.09.2008, 18:53

Some complaint about unreliability of ballot boxes were sent to the Central Election Commission and district election commissions by observers of the “election” and human rights activists from Brest. The claimers referred to the facts of using ballot boxes of old modification and possibilities o frigging.

It one of the reasons why numerous democratic candidates have withdrew their candidatures from the election and why public figures call to boycott the lection farce.

Syarhei Vakulenka was among other Brest civil activists, who signed a complaint to the CEC and the district commission.

“The bottom of a box is fixed with screws. It is seen at most polling stations. The box top can be easily opened in boxes of 2004. There’re no seals at the bottom. The bottom is easily twisted off with the help of an ordinary screwdriver. Besides, all sides of a box are fixed together with screw at polling station #1. These ballot boxes have being used at all elections since 2004,” Vakulenka told in an interview to Radio Svaboda.

Early voting is organised in more than 940 polling stations in the Brest region. Even Soviet-type ballot boxes are used in some villages, Alyaksandr Ramanovich, an authorised representative of Uladzimir Kazeka, who runs for MP in Dnepra-Buhskaya constituency #10.

“I haven’t seen any new ballot boxes here. Moreover, it has been revealed that now it is not necessary to seal the top of boxes with a paper signed by every member of a commission. Sealing wax was also cancelled. Seal is set to modelling clay now. I asked who kept a seal, I was said the head of the commission had it. It means that if a person is not honest, he or she can open a ballot box and put the necessary amount of ballots in there,” Ramanovich said.

Head of the human rights civil association “Brest Spring” Uladzimir Vyalichkin comments on the situation in the Brest region:

“Today we see the same ballot boxes that were in 2006. We are sure it is a direct way to votes rigging during the early voting. providing that about 33 per cent of the votes at early voting are given to an authorities’ candidate, we get the magic figure 82.5 per cent as a result of the election.”

The box top can be easily opened in boxes of 2004

The bottom of ballot box is made with very thin plywood and hangs by a thread

The back of ballot box can be easily opened, if You twist off four screws

Syarhei Vakulenka’s plan of sealing up the bottom of ballot box for early voting