One thousand inhabitants of Kurasoushchyna demand re-count
They do not believe the official results and have given a written confirmation that they voted for an entrepreneur Dzmitry Us at the elections.
About a thousand people from two election centres (there are 9 of them and one special centre in October constituency #17) have demanded that the Central Election Commission should organize a re-count. They are indignant and disappointed with the results of the local elections – where do the incredible numbers come from?
A woman: "Of cause we are disappointed! We are very disappointed! Our government has lost our trust!”
Another woman: "All my acquaintances said they voted only for Us! It’s not the first election bringing no results – this is all their democracy!”
An elderly woman: "We were sure that Us would become a deputy!”
Another elderly woman: "It is necessary to investigate it – and imprison them all!”
Pensioner: "They are boors - they do not let us elect this person for so many years!”
A woman: "Of cause we are disappointed! We are very disappointed! Our government has lost our trust!”
Another woman: "All my acquaintances said they voted only for Us! It’s not the first election bringing no results – this is all their democracy!”
An elderly woman: "We were sure that Us would become a deputy!”
Another elderly woman: "It is necessary to investigate it – and imprison them all!”
Pensioner: "They are boors - they do not let us elect this person for so many years!”
Upper part of an application sent to the CEC
An independent candidate Dzmitry Us was a deputy of Minsk City Council in 1999 – 2003. He was not allowed to register as a candidate in 2003 and 2007. He managed to get 5 thousand signatures in his support at the recent local elections when he only needed 150.
However – he has lost! According to the official information, he scored 33% of votes (about 4.5 thousands) which was 8% less that the number of votes collected by the head of the trade union of the “Intergral” plant Halina Martsinovich.
The interrogated inhabitants of the constituency still remember Dzmitry Us in a good way and they have not seen any other deputies since 2003.
A woman: "Us has been the only candidate we could see for many years. He came out to the street to meet people; he appeared over there and asked about people’s problems. The authorities do not like him because he spent money on the things people needed!”
An independent candidate Dzmitry Us was a deputy of Minsk City Council in 1999 – 2003. He was not allowed to register as a candidate in 2003 and 2007. He managed to get 5 thousand signatures in his support at the recent local elections when he only needed 150.
However – he has lost! According to the official information, he scored 33% of votes (about 4.5 thousands) which was 8% less that the number of votes collected by the head of the trade union of the “Intergral” plant Halina Martsinovich.
The interrogated inhabitants of the constituency still remember Dzmitry Us in a good way and they have not seen any other deputies since 2003.
A woman: "Us has been the only candidate we could see for many years. He came out to the street to meet people; he appeared over there and asked about people’s problems. The authorities do not like him because he spent money on the things people needed!”
Dzmitry Us demonstrates hundreds of signatures in support of the re-count. He is going to send them to the Central Election Commission today.
Dzmitry Us: "Here is the analysis: 24th special centre, hospital. They wrote I had 28 votes. People have gathered 33 after a re-count. It turns out the number in the protocol is less than the number after the re-count. Here is a block of 90 flats – 76 votes after a re-count. The situation is similar in other blocks of flats”.
Dzmitry Us: "Here is the analysis: 24th special centre, hospital. They wrote I had 28 votes. People have gathered 33 after a re-count. It turns out the number in the protocol is less than the number after the re-count. Here is a block of 90 flats – 76 votes after a re-count. The situation is similar in other blocks of flats”.
Dzmitry Us shows hundreds of signatures in support of the re-count.
One of the letters to the CEC
A person empowered to act for Dzmitry Us – Yauheniya – says she saw the secretary of an election commission putting bulletins for Us in the other pile.
Yauheniya: "She asked the woman who was counting votes in a low voice if those were bulletins for Us. Then she put his bulletins in another pile twice. I saw it and started a scandal there. They told me a policeman would make me leave if I didn’t shut up”.
There were cases when people arrived to vote and it turned out that somebody had already voted instead of them in that election centre. Furthermore, nobody re-counted the bulletins collected during the early voting, notes Yauheniya.
Dzmitry Us gives examples from other election centres.
Dzmitry Us: "There were 170 bulletins from the early voting in election centre number 20. When they opened the box it turned out that there were 600 or 700 bulletins in it. Misha, a person empowered to act for me, started taking pictures. They called the police and said they would make him leave if he took any pictures!”
The secretary of the Central Election Commission Mikalai Lazavik has informed ERB that this is the biggest number of signatures ever collected in support of a re-count. But people’s appeals will not be considered because the three-day term has already expired.
Mikalai Lazavik: "It’s the 4th of May today. They have missed the boat. They are too late. Maybe Dzmitry Us had some organizers who worked a lot to organize this mass indignation”.
However, there are proofs of the masses. For example, inhabitants of Lander St. 34 have interrogated inhabitants of the house and sent a special “reference” to Dzmitry Us.
A person empowered to act for Dzmitry Us – Yauheniya – says she saw the secretary of an election commission putting bulletins for Us in the other pile.
Yauheniya: "She asked the woman who was counting votes in a low voice if those were bulletins for Us. Then she put his bulletins in another pile twice. I saw it and started a scandal there. They told me a policeman would make me leave if I didn’t shut up”.
There were cases when people arrived to vote and it turned out that somebody had already voted instead of them in that election centre. Furthermore, nobody re-counted the bulletins collected during the early voting, notes Yauheniya.
Dzmitry Us gives examples from other election centres.
Dzmitry Us: "There were 170 bulletins from the early voting in election centre number 20. When they opened the box it turned out that there were 600 or 700 bulletins in it. Misha, a person empowered to act for me, started taking pictures. They called the police and said they would make him leave if he took any pictures!”
The secretary of the Central Election Commission Mikalai Lazavik has informed ERB that this is the biggest number of signatures ever collected in support of a re-count. But people’s appeals will not be considered because the three-day term has already expired.
Mikalai Lazavik: "It’s the 4th of May today. They have missed the boat. They are too late. Maybe Dzmitry Us had some organizers who worked a lot to organize this mass indignation”.
However, there are proofs of the masses. For example, inhabitants of Lander St. 34 have interrogated inhabitants of the house and sent a special “reference” to Dzmitry Us.
A letter written by inhabitants of one of the houses to Dzmitry Us.
Letter of inhabitants of one of the houses (reverse)
ERB has interrogated people in yards of October constituency #17. The overwhelming majority of people voted for Dzmitry Us. Not a single person recalled the name of the official winner – nobody had ever seen or heard Halina Martsinovich.
Women: "We do not believe it! No way! We have never seen her! Who is she? Nobody even carried on propaganda for her, we haven’ seen her portrait! Who could have voted for her!? She should have organized a meeting! Us did it and many people gathered there, all of us!”
Dzmіtry Us organized 16 meetings in yards. Each of the meetings attracted 60 or more people, about 100 citizens. According to electors, they did not receive invitations to meet the other candidate.
Maria Alyakseyeuna will soon turn 84. She watched the election campaign and is sure that the results were falsified.
Maria Alyakseyeuna: "There were 500 signatures and only 300 votes! How can it be true? This is gerrymander! Gerrymander! They elected the person they wanted to be elected! Who is that woman? Who could have voted for her without ever seeing her? How could she score that many votes?”
ERB has interrogated people in yards of October constituency #17. The overwhelming majority of people voted for Dzmitry Us. Not a single person recalled the name of the official winner – nobody had ever seen or heard Halina Martsinovich.
Women: "We do not believe it! No way! We have never seen her! Who is she? Nobody even carried on propaganda for her, we haven’ seen her portrait! Who could have voted for her!? She should have organized a meeting! Us did it and many people gathered there, all of us!”
Dzmіtry Us organized 16 meetings in yards. Each of the meetings attracted 60 or more people, about 100 citizens. According to electors, they did not receive invitations to meet the other candidate.
Maria Alyakseyeuna will soon turn 84. She watched the election campaign and is sure that the results were falsified.
Maria Alyakseyeuna: "There were 500 signatures and only 300 votes! How can it be true? This is gerrymander! Gerrymander! They elected the person they wanted to be elected! Who is that woman? Who could have voted for her without ever seeing her? How could she score that many votes?”
Maria Alyakseyeuna and her friends are sure they have been deceived.
ERB: "Who did you vote for at the elections?"
A woman living in a local block of flats: "For Us!"
ERB: "Do you know the results?"
A woman: "I don’t".
ERB: "Us has not won".
A woman: "Hasn’t he? What a shame! How can it be true!? I thought he was elected!”
Another woman: "I was sure he was elected!”
ERB: "Do you believe the results of the elections?”
A woman: "I don’t, it is gerrymander!”
Another woman: "I don’t believe either! I think it is gerrymander!”
ERB: "Who did you vote for at the elections?"
A woman living in a local block of flats: "For Us!"
ERB: "Do you know the results?"
A woman: "I don’t".
ERB: "Us has not won".
A woman: "Hasn’t he? What a shame! How can it be true!? I thought he was elected!”
Another woman: "I was sure he was elected!”
ERB: "Do you believe the results of the elections?”
A woman: "I don’t, it is gerrymander!”
Another woman: "I don’t believe either! I think it is gerrymander!”
