Brest oblast: authorities change the electoral districts as they want

07.07.2008. Tags: elections-2008.

After the issue of the presidential decree on appointment of the parliamentary elections, the Central Electoral Commission issued its ruling #16 On creation of the electoral districts for elections of deputies to the Chamber of Representatives of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus of the fourth convocation. By this ruling the territories, names and the number of electors of certain electoral districts were changed.

Such changes are very noticeable in Brest oblast. In particular, instead of Drahichyn electoral district #9 there was established Dneprabuzhskaya electoral district #10, which includes Drahichyn and Ivanava administrative districts. Mukhavets electoral district #13 became electoral district #4. Baranavichy western electoral district #4 became electoral district #5, Baranavichy eastern electoral district #5 became electoral district #6, Baranavichy village electoral district #6 became electoral district #7, Belavezhskaya electoral district #7 became electoral district #8, Biaroza electoral district #8 – electoral district #9, Ivatsevichy electoral district #10 - #11, Kobrynskaya electoral district #11 - #12, Luninets electoral district #12 - #13. Some houses in Leninhradskaya, Haurylava and Hrodzenskaya streets of Brest were added to Mukhavets electoral district #4 which was to have included only the districts of Brest, Zhabinka and Malaryta administrative districts. Besides, the annex to ruling of the Central Electoral Commission of 25 June 2008 does not determine the borders of Leninski district of Brest, thus violating part 7 of Article 15 of the Electoral Code of the Republic of Belarus.

According to part 6 of article 15 of the Electoral Code the electoral districts are to consist of approximately equal number of electors and the deviations in the number of electors from the average number cannot exceed 10%. The average number is 64 042. By the way, it is 543 less than the same number which was determined four years ago by ruling of the Central Electoral Commission #4 of 20 May 2004.

However, in Baranavichy village electoral district #7 and in Luninets electoral district #13 the deviation in the number of electors exceeds the legally permitted 10%.

Human rights activists for free elections