On the eve of the early voting the authorities were still trying to remove opposition candidates from the election campaign. Revoking of the already issued registration, provocations and threats – what other obstacles did independent candidates face?
An unexpected guest – a pro-governmental blogger Alyaksey Holikau – left the press conference of the Brest candidates from the Belarusian Social Democratic Party only after the police arrived. This is not the first provocation seen during the election campaign by candidate Syarhei Mazan. In Stolin district #16 he is being pressured by the state media, while unknown persons send messages threatening to kill him.
“There was a call with an unclear sounds in the speaker and the question “where are you”? After I hang up, I received a message on Viber. After I blocked the user, the messages started coming to the personal phone and YouTube in the form of comments,” says Mazan.
In Navapolatsk, the campaign is quieter. Valery Valazhonak, a member of the United Civil Party, hopes to draw the attention of the authorities to the environmental problems of the city. However, the candidate has been having doubts about the fairness of vote count for a long time. What is the purpose of his participation in the election campaign?
“If we do not get involved in politics, this regime has existed for 25 years and will continue to exist for another 20 years,” explains Valery Valazhonak.
A novelty of this election campaign was a new way of elimination of the oppositionists. Already after the registration they have been removed for violation of the electoral law.
“They took away registration from all those who were active during the campaign. And this is obvious,” said Pavel Yukhnevich, who was removed from the elections to the House of Representatives.
Pavel Yukhnevich was removed for not submitting an application at the place of campaigning, although the Electoral Code does not require such applications. Palina Sharenda-Panasiuk was removed for calling Alyaksandr Lukashenka a dictator in her speech. Dmitri Kazakevich – for campaigning without taking leave from work.
Registration has already been taken away from 12 opposition representatives. Another candidate from Zaslauski district, Volha Byaleutsova, became next.
“The commission refused to register me on the basis of two anonymous appeals. Even if we consider them in essence, they do not correspond to reality. The information in them is not true,” says Volha.
Early voting – a procedure that, according to the reports of the OSCE mission – gives the authorities ample opportunity for falsification? has started.
Alyaksandr Papko, belsat.eu
