Executive committee’s observer about elections in Belarus: “Wrong” ballot papers were torn and thrown away

A pro-regime observer Dzmitry Nyakhaj told how election fraud is taking place in Belarus.

The press-service of “European Belarus” civil campaign has received a letter which is published without changes.

“In the period of 1997-2002 I worked as a deputy head of a department in Maladzechna district executive committee. During this time as an observer nominated by a labour collective of Maladzechna district executive committee I have taken part in the elections to the Chamber of representatives of the National Assembly of Belarus, local Soviets’ deputies, and the president of Belarus at the electoral precinct of Haradok village council of people’s deputies and in the village of Krasnaye.

Election results rigging started at polling stations even on the stage of the early voting. At that period the ballot boxes with ballot papers are left without observers for a long time, and that is why the authorities are forcibly “driving” citizens to take part in the voting then.

While I was at the polling station in the village of Pyatroushchyna, I witnessed the following events. On the election day two observers arrived to the polling station, two young persons, members of a political party. They acted competently; they observed the work of the commission in turn, they behaved composedly and gave no grounds to evict them from the polling station. However, the election commission had to fulfill its “task”. After consultations, members of the election commission decided to use a movable ballot box and throw in “right” ballot papers in a door-to-door visit to voters. It was done this way.

When the head of the collective farm and the chairman of the village council came to the polling station, they told which work had been done by them to achieve the required result. It was explained for the local population that in case they vote “in a wrong way” the collective farm would not help them by agricultural vehicles in harvesting operations; would not give feeding stuff and land for procurement of fodder, and so on.

Counting the results of the voting by members of the election commission was held in full compliance with the figures dictated by the district election commission and agreed upon on the phone. The “wrong” ballot papers were torn and thrown away, and the needed “right” ones were immediately filled in and added. The election commission had blank ballot papers for that. After that final protocols were written.

The polling station in the village of Krasnaye was situated at the territory of a military unit. At this polling station electoral fraud was performed with the help of administrative leverage, with the help of intimidation. The command of the military unit told us that according to an oral order, in case at least one “wrong” ballot paper is found in the ballot box, no one would be allowed to go on the pass. At Soldiers came at set time in line of columns. There were 100% of votes for the “right” candidate.

In this presidential election precinct election commissions were formed with minimal number of opposition representatives. Thus, as before, the state bodies use administrative resources are paving the way for rigging the election results.

Dzmitry Nyakhaj