UCP Members Denied Registration of Initiative Groups.

16.08.2004.

The majority of UCP members have not yet received the official response whether their groups are registered.
However, sad incidents have started to occur.

Lew Marholin (Barysaw city election district # 77): initiative group members were pressurized with the demand to leave the team. Some people were threatened with termination of their job contracts. The candidate was refused registration of the group. However, Lew Marholin applied again. This initiative group received registration.

Henadz Voranaw (Polatsk city election district # 28). Members of the initiative group were pressurized by their college administration (Polatsk State University). They were threatened with problems with their studies. The majority of Voranaw’s team left the initiative group. These people agree to help the candidate, but do not want to be on the list submitted to the authorities. The initiative group was not registered. However, the candidate applied for registration of a new initiative group. The decision about it hasn’t been made yet.

Veranika Buikevich (Baranavichy) – the initiative group was not registered because a citizen of Ukraine was member of the initiative group.

Sviatlana Karalova (Autazavodzki election district # 94): Out of 50 group members, one person was under age (under 18). The candidate submitted a complaint to the Central Election Commission. She claims other 49 citizens have the right to register an initiative group. The Central Election Commission hasn’t considered the complaint yet.

Leanid Markhotka (Salihorsk city election district # 90). His group was refused registration. Representatives of the authorities visited him at home and asked whether he was collecting signatures for Markhotka. He said he was not (because the group was not still registered). Then they made him to sign the statement that he “is not collecting signatures”. Then the commission decided that he had refused to collect signatures. Practically, the authorities have committed a fraud and tricked the guy into the whole deal.