State officials in Belarusian election commissions disguise as public members

According to official data, state officials make only 5% of the composition of election commissions in the Homel region. However, this is only the appearance.

One can found mainly public members and people nominated by citizens in the lists of election commissions. The authorities even didn’t use every opportunity of such a nomination form as “labour collectives”, the campaign “Human Rights Activists for Free Elections” reports.

But it’s worth studying who hides behind “representatives of NGOs”.

Let’s take the Savetski precinct election commission #1 (the town of Loeu). At least 8 members remain in the commission since the local council election. Commission member Valyantsina Aniskova is nominated by the trade union of workers of government institutions. Aniskova is the head of the statistics department at the district executive committee. Commission member Tatsyana Lahuta is nominated by the trade union of workers of education and science. She works as principle officer at the education department of the district executive committee. Henadzy Misachanka nominated by citizens works as the head of the management department of agriculture at the district executive committee.

Leninski precinct commission #2 (Loeu). Viktar Kazulya, the head of labour, employment and social protection department at the district executive commission is proposed for nomination by the trade union. Editor of the local newspaper Svyatlana Matornaya is nominated by the Belarusian Union of Women organization. Deputy headmaster at a secondary school Alla Matornaya is nominated by Belaya Rus organization. Principle officer of the economics department at the district executive committee Andrei Navumenka is nominated by the pro-presidential BRSM organization. As a result, 10 out of 13 members of the commission are state officials. The rest three may also be government officials, who knows.

By the way, precinct election commissions in the town of Loeu are not an exception. Most of precinct commissions have been formed on the same principle. They are composed of common and senior government officers, not pubic members. We remind that number of state officers in they composition of election commissions is a violation of the electoral legislation.