Documents

2018

Local Elections in Belarus

Final report

BHC & Viasna
Belarus

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The elections were very passive and hardly visible to the public. Despite the absence of any significant violations and obstacles at the electoral phases of registration of nomination groups, collecting of signatures and election campaigning, the stages that followed, including early voting, counting of the votes and the tabulation of voting results in higher commissions, were marred by numerous manipulations, active use of administrative resources and lack of transparency.

 

Local Elections in Belarus

Report on monitoring the phase of election campaigning

BHC & Viasna
Belarus

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The citizen observers inititive Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections claims that this year’s election is marked by a greater number of locations for campaigning events, a lack of information in the government-owned media candidates from the opposition, the use of administrative resources in favor of pro-government candidates. This created unequal conditions for other candidates. The district election commissions justified the practice by arguing that the deputies were engaged in their direct activities. 

 

Local Elections in Belarus

Report on monitoring the registration of candidates for deputies

BHC & Viasna
Belarus

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A total of 22,713 candidates for local councils of the twenty-eighth convocation have been nominated, which almost equals the number nominated during the last local elections of 2014 (22,784). Most candidates were nominated by citizens through signature collection — 15,172, which represents 66.8% of the total number of nominees, labor collectives — 5,356 (23.6%), political parties — 813 (3.6%).

 

Local Elections in Belarus

Report on monitoring the formation of precinct election commissions

BHC & Viasna
Belarus

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The precinct election commissions (hereinafter —PECs) are the key actor of the election process. It is the PECs that directly organize and conduct early voting, voting on Election Day, and home voting, counting of the votes and tabulation at the polling stations. As in the previous local elections, one of the essential legally - enshrined obstacles to the nomination of representatives of political parties and public associations to the PECs is a requirement to possess registered local branches.