Why is qualitative composition of election commission being hid?

The Movement for Freedom (the MFF) supporters form Lelchytsy town noticed that the list of the territorial election commission published in a district newspaper didn’t include the information about the places of work of its members.

The list of Lelchytsy District Election Commission members for the 26th election of the District Deputies’ Council deputies was published in the issue No.12 of February 2, 2010 of The Cheerful Life (Svetlaye Zhyttsio) district social and political newspaper. However, there is no mentioning of the places of work alongside the commission members’ names.

At the same time, the importance of a commission member’s place of work and office is essential. Under Article 35 of the Election Code of the Republic of Belarus, public officials can form up to one third of any election commission. Classifying this information could endanger the execution of the corresponding provision of Law, and contradicts Article 13 of the Election Code which states that elections should be arranged and held publicly and openly.

It was discovered during analysis of the qualitative composition of the Lelchytsy District Election Commission that Commission head Liudmila Turko delegated by the Belarusian Women Association works as the head of the Labour, Employment, and Population Social Security Agency of the Lelchytsy District Executive Committee, and Mikalay Gaurylovets delegated by way of collecting the signatures is the head of the Lelchytsy Power Supply Inspection. The Commission also includes the head of the Lelchytsy cinema network Valiantsina Liashchynskaya, the head of the District Executive Committee’s Design and Estimate Bureau Uladzimir Krauchuk, and the head of the Population Social Security Centre Natallia Shyshkanava. They all were delegated either by town residents or by such pro-government civil associations as Belaya Rus.

Thus, quite a few public officials got into the election commission pretending to be the representatives of citizens or of civil organizations which could mean the violation of Article 35 of the Election Code.

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