Belarus Election Alert #4
Riot police confronting protesters in central Minsk. July 14, 2020 Viktar Babaryka and Valery Tsapkala were not registered to run for the Presidency. Babaryka was denied registration over alleged flaws in his income and property declaration and the participation of a foreign organization in his campaign as many in his nomination group are employees of […]
Weekly Report – nomination and signature collection phase
Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections (HRDs) stated in their latest report on the entire nomination and signature collection phase of the election campaign that this was marred by serious violations of the standards of free and democratic elections. The nomination groups of some candidates were subjected to significant pressure from law enforcement agencies and […]
Belarus Election Alert #4
The CEC has declined to register Viktar Babaryka and Valery Tsapkala, making two of Aliaksandr Lukashenka’s key rivals ineligible to run for President. Following this decision, protests broke out across Belarus which were accompanied by a wave of arrests. Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections (HRDs), now the only independent observers of this election, report […]
Weekly report: nomination and signature collection phase
Observation of the presidential election is carried out by the Belarusian Helsinki Committee and the Human Rights Center “Viasna” in the framework of the campaign “Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections”. SUMMARY the nomination and registration of presidential candidates took place in an atmosphere of threats, fear and pressure on voters in connection with their […]
Over 250 protesters arrested during protests sparked by denial of rival candidates’ registration
At least 280 people were detained by the police yesterday evening after hundreds demonstrated against the Central Election Commission’s Website of the Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections here
Lukashenka’s key rivals removed from elections
Viktar Babaryka and Valery Tsapkala. Photo: RFE/RL The Central Election Commission has declined to register Viktar Babaryka and Valery Tsapkala, making two of Aliaksandr Lukashenka’s key rivals ineligible to run for President. Babaryka was denied registration over alleged flaws in his income and property declaration and the participation of a foreign organization in the presidential nominee’s campaign. Many […]
Belarus Election Alert #3
The Central Election Commission has until 14 July to complete the registration process of candidates for the presidential race. Observers from the “Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections” campaign report that further measures were taken to disadvantage rival candidates in recent days: locations where election activities can lawfully take place have been restricted, further members […]
Belarus Election Alert #3
Image source: tellerreport.com Local governments have drastically reduced the list of legal campaigning locations for outdoor events in an apparent attempt to curb election-related activities. Authorized venues are either unsuitable for this purpose or are likely to be unpopular among voters, with some of them being inaccessible by public transport. According to HRDs, unlike the 2015 […]
Government slashes campaigning locations in attempt to ‘sterilize’ elections
Following an unprecedented crackdown on presidential nominees and members of their campaign teams, the authorities have opted to minimize the outreach of the upcoming campaigning phase of the presidential election set for August 9. Local governments have drastically reduced the list of legal campaigning locations for outdoor events in an apparent attempt to curb election-related […]
Weekly Report – formation of precinct election commissions
On June 24 authorities completed the formation of Precinct Election Commissions (PECs) which are an important element of the electoral process directly engaged in the administration of voting and counting of votes. Observers note that the formation of PECs clearly discriminated against representatives of opposition parties: 1.1% of the total number of elected nominees are […]