Jury organizes competition to select candidates for election commissions
The Central Election Commission stopped accepting applications for membership in district election commission on July 11. The number of registered applications reached 1853. The maximum number of members of 110 election commissions is 1430. The Central Election Commission has organized a contest to get rid of excess people. The jury will consist of officials from regional executive committees. ERB has decided to find out what the chances of opposition candidates were.
The secretary of the Central Election Commission Mikalai Lazavik told ERB that there will be a contest organized to create district election commissions.
Mіkalai Lazavіk: “There are 110 district election commissions and there are 1853 candidates. It turns out that about 16 or 17 people would like to become members of each election commission. However, district election commissions usually consist of 13 or 14 people. There will be a contest, some competition among the applicants and institutions responsible for the creation of election commissions will have an opportunity to choose candidates. The right to create the commissions belongs to regional executive committees and to presidiums of regional councils of deputies”.
According to the secretary of the Central Election Commission, average citizens were more active applicants in comparison with parties or civil organizations. Their representatives have managed to send the majority of applications by collecting signatures.
Mіkalai Lazavіk: “Most applications are from citizens – 738 people or 39.9%. Work groups have sent 272 appeals or 14.7%. Political parties – 371 or 20%. Civil organizations – 470 or 25.4%”.
According to him, election commissions will be created until July 15. ERB has decided to find out the opposition’s expectations from the contest organized by the Central Election Commission.
The leader of the United Civil Party Anatol Lyabedzka thinks that representatives of the opposition will be included in election commissions. However, it will not be done because of some contest. It will be a political decision of the authorities.
Anatol Lyabedzka: “The Red House” is playing a game with the European Union now. It will not cause any problems if one out of 9-13 members of an election commission will express his or her opinion. There will not be any contest. It will be a political decision”.
The leader of the Belarusian Social Democratic Party Hramada Stanislau Shushkevich does not believe that a political decision taken by officials from executive committees will look decent.
Stanіslau Shushkevіch: “I do not know what the decision taken by officials from executive committees will be based on. It has been a while since I witnessed any decent political decision taken by them. We just want to display the duplicity of the authorities and that is why we have sent our applications there”.
The coordinator of “The European Coalition” Mikalai Statkevich has told ERB that their representative Pyotr Mihurski was included in Shklou district election commission yesterday. However, the coalition is not sure what to do about the decision of officials from the executive committee. Mihurski was going to run for a deputy and members of election commissions cannot take part in elections.
Mіkalai Statkevіch: “The head of the list in Mahileu Region Pyotr Mihurski has been included in Shklou district election commission. But he was going to run for a deputy there. How he is trying to decide what to do. We are also trying to understand whether it was a positive step performed by the authorities or just a trick to prevent him from running for a deputy”.
The leader of the LDPB Syarhei Haidukevich is the most optimistic representative of the opposition. He says that the authorities are interested in creating commissions out of people who know what the work of an election commission is and what their duties will be. According to him, liberal democrats have such people.
Syarhei Haidukevіch: “I have a hope. We have well-prepared people who have already taken part in such events. Everyone can see that the authorities would not like to invite a person they would have to teach what to do. Working in a commission is not easy. I tried to select such people. However, it is difficult to say how many of my people will be selected, what the percentage will be and in what regions it will happen”.
The secretary of the Central Election Commission Mikalai Lazavik told ERB that there will be a contest organized to create district election commissions.
Mіkalai Lazavіk: “There are 110 district election commissions and there are 1853 candidates. It turns out that about 16 or 17 people would like to become members of each election commission. However, district election commissions usually consist of 13 or 14 people. There will be a contest, some competition among the applicants and institutions responsible for the creation of election commissions will have an opportunity to choose candidates. The right to create the commissions belongs to regional executive committees and to presidiums of regional councils of deputies”.
According to the secretary of the Central Election Commission, average citizens were more active applicants in comparison with parties or civil organizations. Their representatives have managed to send the majority of applications by collecting signatures.
Mіkalai Lazavіk: “Most applications are from citizens – 738 people or 39.9%. Work groups have sent 272 appeals or 14.7%. Political parties – 371 or 20%. Civil organizations – 470 or 25.4%”.
According to him, election commissions will be created until July 15. ERB has decided to find out the opposition’s expectations from the contest organized by the Central Election Commission.
The leader of the United Civil Party Anatol Lyabedzka thinks that representatives of the opposition will be included in election commissions. However, it will not be done because of some contest. It will be a political decision of the authorities.
Anatol Lyabedzka: “The Red House” is playing a game with the European Union now. It will not cause any problems if one out of 9-13 members of an election commission will express his or her opinion. There will not be any contest. It will be a political decision”.
The leader of the Belarusian Social Democratic Party Hramada Stanislau Shushkevich does not believe that a political decision taken by officials from executive committees will look decent.
Stanіslau Shushkevіch: “I do not know what the decision taken by officials from executive committees will be based on. It has been a while since I witnessed any decent political decision taken by them. We just want to display the duplicity of the authorities and that is why we have sent our applications there”.
The coordinator of “The European Coalition” Mikalai Statkevich has told ERB that their representative Pyotr Mihurski was included in Shklou district election commission yesterday. However, the coalition is not sure what to do about the decision of officials from the executive committee. Mihurski was going to run for a deputy and members of election commissions cannot take part in elections.
Mіkalai Statkevіch: “The head of the list in Mahileu Region Pyotr Mihurski has been included in Shklou district election commission. But he was going to run for a deputy there. How he is trying to decide what to do. We are also trying to understand whether it was a positive step performed by the authorities or just a trick to prevent him from running for a deputy”.
The leader of the LDPB Syarhei Haidukevich is the most optimistic representative of the opposition. He says that the authorities are interested in creating commissions out of people who know what the work of an election commission is and what their duties will be. According to him, liberal democrats have such people.
Syarhei Haidukevіch: “I have a hope. We have well-prepared people who have already taken part in such events. Everyone can see that the authorities would not like to invite a person they would have to teach what to do. Working in a commission is not easy. I tried to select such people. However, it is difficult to say how many of my people will be selected, what the percentage will be and in what regions it will happen”.
