Documents

2017

Local Elections in Belarus

Report on the results of monitoring the registration of nomination groups

BHC & Viasna
Belarus

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According to the observers, the registration of nomination groups was marked by several flaws, e.g. in the Orša district commission. The commission registered a nomination group of Sviataslau Chernikau, head of the Radunskaje agricultural enterprise, who specified his party affiliation as the “Belaya Rus party”. After observers of the campaign “Human Rights Defenders For Free Elections” objected that there is no such party in the country, the commission agreed but did not change its decision, promising to look into the matter.

 

Local Elections in Belarus

Monitoring report on the formation of district election commissions

BHC & Viasna
Belarus

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Executive officials still demonstrated an obviously discriminatory approach to the opposition parties during the formation of the District Election Commissions (DECs). The introduction of a requirement to consider the candidates’ professional and personal qualities did not contribute to greater political pluralism. The process of formation of the DECs took place in an atmosphere of greater transparency as compared to the previous local elections of 2014, but in general the new practices and the results of the formation of the DECs did not differ from previous election campaigns.

 

 

Local Elections in Belarus

Monitoring report on the formation of territorial election commissions

BHC & Viasna
Belarus

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As in the previous local elections, one of the major obstacles to nominate representatives to the territorial election commissions (TECs) from political parties and public organizations is a rule endorsed by the Central Election Commission which only allows the nomination of candidates by the organizations’ local branches, provided they are registered at the regional, district and city levels.

 

 

Parliamentary Elections in Belarus

Results of Independent Observation: Facts, Analysis, Comments

BHC & Viasna
Belarus

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The report provides an analysis of all stages of the elections to the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus of the sixth convocation held on 11 September 2016.  Despite the fact that the vote was accompanied by unfavorable trends in the social and economic spheres, the campaign took place against a more favorable internal political background as compared to earlier elections.

 

Local Elections in Belarus

Priority recommendations on reforming the electoral legislation of Belarus

BHC & Viasna
Belarus

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The civil campaign Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections has presented a policy paper on its recommendations aimed at reforming the electoral legislation of Belarus. According to the campaign’s experts, these recommendations are crucial for the conduct of free, fair and democratic elections. In 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013 and 2015, the Electoral Code was amended, which was expected to implement the recommendations of the OSCE ODIHR, however, election procedures preserved their key drawbacks, as evidenced by the latest report of the OSCE ODIHR mission published after observing the parliamentary elections in 2016.