Belarusian Social Democratic Party (Assembly): Contacts With “Deputies”-Appointees Of Authorities Should Be Limited

The election of deputies to the "chamber” held on September 11, were not free and open, and the results of the vote remain doubtful.

This is stated in the resolution of the Presidium of the Belarusian Social Democratic Party (Assembly), the BelaPAN news agency reports.

The document notes that "the vast majority" of party members, who were nominated to the precinct elections commissions, were not included therein, and those who made it to the commissions’ squads, "were not allowed to get complete information" about what was happening at polling stations”. In addition, observers from the Belarusian Social Democratic Party (Assembly) "were not admitted to the procedure of counting votes."

"None of the party observers, or authorized representatives of candidates, as well as the candidates from the Belarusian Social Democratic Party (Assembly) saw the voting marks in the ballot papers during the counting of votes ", - the document says.

The observers of the Belarusian Social Democratic Party (Assembly), the statement notes, recorded a low turnout of voters at a significant number of the voting stations, which in most cases did not exceed 50%. In some cases, the party observers recorded "coercion to voting during the early voting, the electoral " carousel ", improper storage of ballot boxes at the voting stations, and inflation of voters lists."

"The enlisted evidence suggests that there was no progress in the organization and conduct of elections, the law enforcement practice of the electoral campaign did not bring positive results, and the results of the vote for the party candidates could be totally different," - the statement claims.

The Belarusian Social Democratic Party (Assembly) calls on the international community "to refrain from recognition of the voting results, limit contact with the "deputies" appointed by the authorities”.

The party also calls on the CEC to develop amendments to the Electoral Code "in accordance with the recommendations of the OSCE, which would guarantee the future holding of free and transparent elections."