Shklou: ‘draft’ protocols are not considered as a violation of the electoral laws

11.10.2008. Tags: elections-2008.
Source: RFE/RL.

On 28 September, the Election Day, a member of Shklou constituency election commission Piatro Mihurski found three invalid final protocols of precinct election commissions.

Two of them were from the village of Alexandria (the birthplace of Alexander Lukashenka). One of them was not filled, but was signed by the members of the commissions (so that the necessary numbers could be put later). The other was filled in pencil and also signed by members of the commission. The third (from the village of Bushliaki), was not filled, but was signed as well. As a result Piatro Mihurski refused to sign the protocol on the election results, which was prepared by Shklou constituency election commission. Instead he demanded that his commission annulled the results of the election s at Shklou constituency. He also addressed the Central election commission with an appropriate application.

The CEC returned the application back to Shklou constituency election commission. A special sitting of the election commission was summoned in order to consider this document. All thirteen members of the commission were present, as well as the heads and the secretaries of the precinct commissions at which the invalid protocols were found. The sitting was also attended by an ex-candidate to the parliament Ryhor Kastusiou and a number of journalists.

At the sitting the heads of the commissions Tatsiana Kavaliova (from Alexandria) and Нenadz Shantalosau (Bushliaki) said that the protocols that had been found by Mihurski were ‘drafts’ and were lying above the ones which were filled according to the legal requirements. Other members of Mihurski’s commission also stated that he was to have first discussed the issue in their commission rather than report directly to the Central election commission.

After an hour’s discussion the head of Shklou constituency election commission Liudmila Hliakava read a protocol that had been prepared in advance. The essence of the document is that no distortion of the results of the voting at precinct #10 in Alexandria and #20 in Bushliaki were registered. The heads of the appropriate precinct commissions were warned about the inadmissibility of keeping draft protocols together with the valid ones. The actions of the commission member Piatro Mihurski were declared discrediting the constituency election commission and his complaint was rejected.

After the end of the sitting Mihurski commented: ‘First of all, it was not me who discredited the election commission, but the heads and secretaries of the precinct commissions who had committed the aforementioned actions. The issue of blank papers with signatures of members of precinct commissions is a prelude to falsification of elections’.

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