Army called MP candidate Karatysh back to service on election day

Pro-democracy candidate Vitaly Karatysh was not allowed to wait for the outcome of the vote count at the Luninetsk election district No 13. The soldier had been granted a leave in order to take part in the parliamentary elections and was supposed to return to his unit on Monday, but on Sunday he was called to the military enrollment station and sent back to the army.

Vitaly Karatysh, 24 has a university decree in public administration. He had managed to file his paperwork with the election commission literally before the draft.

He had served for one month in an air-defense unit in the Osipovichy district. After his commanders knew that he had been registered as a candidate for the House of Representatives, they granted him a one-month leave.

If Karatysh won, he could not have returned back to the army. However, he was not allowed to wait for the results of the election. Dmitri Shymanski, the head of the Popular Front branch in the Brest region, says::  

"He was taken in the afternoon on Sunday before the results of the elections were announced. He had a leave through September 29, but he was ordered to return on Sunday (September 28) dressed in the uniform. By afternoon, he was already back in his unit".

Larisa Vershalovich who has the mandate of a member of parliament won elections in this constituency.