Early voting kicks off in Belarus: Lukashenka warns against ‘artificial’ elections
Voting in the upcoming parliamentary election should not be ‘artificial’, president Alyaksandr Lukashenka said at Tuesday’s meeting with Lidziya Yarmoshyna, Chairperson of the Central Election Commission (CEC) of Belarus.
“I would like you and those responsible for the organization of the elections to make sure that the process is not artificial, that people are encouraged to come to the polls, that the elections run smoothly, that the voting day is like a celebration, and that we understand that we are doing this for our country and nation,” state-run news agency BelTA quotes Lukashenka as saying.
In Belarus, 20-30% of voters usually go to the polls during the period of early voting. At the 2010 presidential elections, over 23.1% cast their votes in advance.
However, according to independent observers and human rights watchdogs, early voting makes it possible to rig elections in Belarus. According to them, every time Belarusian military, students and civil servants are forced to vote early.
Human rights activists urge to use a mobile app that helps to report violations. The campaign “Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections” has also opened a hotline for reporting violations during the parliamentary elections.
More than 500 candidates are running for 110 seats in the House of Representatives. The election is to be held on September, 11.
