Lukashenka's “election” fails

Less than half of Belarusians participated in voting.

The campaign “For Fair Elections” says voter turnout at the “parliamentary election” was incredibly low. The website charter97.org learned this from the campaign coordinator and chair of the Belarusian Left Party “Fair World” Syarhei Kalyakin.

“We have precise information about voter turnout in constituencies. The election commission at the 34th Savetski constituency in Homel  says 67.2% voted (including early voting), but our observers, who were recording every voter, claim turnout was 37.6%. The difference is almost 30%. The same situation was in the 94th constituency in Minsk. At the 102nd constituency, official turnout is 58.9%, but in real case only 38.9% came. The difference is 20%. The list can be continued. They say the 'election' is valid, but according to our data, it is invalid,” the politician said.

“We do not measure the average turnout. It's like measuring average body temperature in hospital. The election was really valid in rural constituencies. Turnout there was 70%. But it's all different in big cities,” Syarhei Kalyakin is confident.

The opposition politician also says how the authorities tried to reach high turnout. Inviting people to vote on the phone and intercom is the most innocent thing. Commission members visited many people at home with a ballot box. UCP member Dzmitry Kavalhin was visited by commission members at his home, but they gave him a wrong ballot paper without signatures of commission members. He took the ballot and filed a complaint to a prosecutor's office,” Syarhei Kalyakin said.

“District election commissions 'bought' voters. At several polling stations people received beer, lemonade or light alcoholic drinks after they voted. There were cases that people asked the commission to issue a notice for their bosses confirming they had voted. Students were forced to vote. The so called merry-go-round voting was recorded, for example in the 94th constituency. It would have been impossible without a secret deal of district commissions. But the simplest fraud remains ballot throw-in,” the coordinator of “For Fair Elections” campaign stressed.