In Belarus will be the main day of voting in the presidential elections
The main day of voting in the presidential elections in Belarus will be held on Sunday.
At the highest state post claimed five candidates, including 26 years has been the head of the Republic Alexander Lukashenko, for which this is the sixth presidential race. The competition make him two men – representatives of opposition organizations and two women.
To vote in an election may, more than 6.8 million people. Just formed 5767 polling stations, including 44 – abroad, they will work in the Belarusian embassies and consulates in 36 countries.
Elections will be declared valid if attended by more than 50% of the citizens included in the lists. For the election of the President of Belarus you need to dial more than 50% of the votes of voters who took part in the vote. Some politicians believe that in the current situation in the country as ever has a chance to hold elections in two rounds, which has not happened since 1994, when Lukashenka won.
Already the start of the election campaign has attracted the attention of an unprecedented number of people wishing to nominate a candidate in the election, 55 persons, most of whom were supporters of arch-opponent of Lukashenko, candidate for the 2010 election, Nikolai Statkevich, as well as supporters of the popular blogger Sergei Tikhanovski, recently broke into Belarusian politics. CEC head Lidia Yermoshina then even accused the opposition of trying to disrupt the work of the CEC. Tikhanovski he could not sign the documents for submission to the CEC, because he was serving an administrative arrest, and then the initiative group has decided to enroll his wife Svetlana, later explaining his act of love for her husband. Statkevich, had a criminal record after the dispersal of the opposition rally in 2010, was denied registration of the initiative group.
In the end, the CEC has registered only 15 initiative groups, which you had to collect 100 thousand signatures of voters in support of nomination of candidates. Many members of the traditional opposition initially, it was recognized that presidents get on plan, and intend only to use the opportunity to hold pickets for collection of signatures for communication with citizens. Belarusians despite the pandemic coronavirus visited the pickets and willingly gave their signatures for candidates, alternative to Lukashenka. But came to the forefront of a three – man Tikhanovski, the former head of Belgazprombank Viktor Babariko and former head of the high-tech Park Valery Tsepkalo. It's at their pickets lined kilometer queue of those wishing to give their signatures in support of candidates.
But CEC registered candidates, only five people, denying Babariko and Tsepkalo. The husband Tikhanovski, and many members of her staff were arrested in criminal cases, Babariko and some close to him people were accused of economic crimes and Tsepkalo left the country because of the threat of arrest within the Ministry of internal Affairs checking on bribery in the high-tech Park.
Three staff - Tikhanovski, and Babariko and Tsepkalo stated that he decided to join efforts during the current campaign, with the goal of holding fair elections in the country. Persons of this campaign, in addition to Tikhanovski, are his wife Veronika Tsepkalo and the representative of the headquarters of Babariko Maria Kolesnikova, or "the three graces" as they described the head of the CEC. Their main purpose, they proclaimed a new fair elections within six months. Their campaign pickets gathered thousands of people as a sign of commitment to change are in the hands of the white bracelet.
In an interview with Ukrainian journalist Dmitry Gordon Lukashenko said that he was sorry 37-year-old housewife Tikhanovski, and he doesn't what to debate. "Svetlana is sitting here without papers... there's nothing to Talk about. It pushed out and spun like a banner. She's good hamburger just made, maybe the kids fed there... And then the debate should be conducted on some issues," he said.
The Belarusian President does not believe that her actions led by the Kremlin. Behind her he sees Babariko and Tsepkalo, a campaign which, in his opinion, was financed from Russia, in particular, "a lot of money pumped through Gazprom.
Also for the presidency expect the co-Chairman of public Association "Tell the truth" 39-summer Andrey Dmitriev, ex-Deputy of the 43-year-old Anna Konopacka, 35-year-old Chairman of the party "Belarusian social-democratic Gramada" Sergey Cerecer. Dmitriev and Caraceni declare their readiness to support, if the second round of elections of any alternative candidate Lukashenko, which does not include Konopacky.
The uniqueness of this election is not only a high degree of protest moods in society, but also in the unprecedented measures taken during a pandemic coronavirus.
If COVID-19 could not prevent the collection of signatures in support of nomination of candidates and campaigning, then adjustments to the organization of the campaign made. And it's not even in the recommendations of the Commission members and voters to wear masks and gloves, not in the requirements for sanitary processing of polling stations and ballot boxes, not in the voting booth with nezakryvayushhihsya shutter and not transport patients home voters with COVID-19 organized in hospitals areas.
For the first time elections will be held without observers from the OSCE. For a long time because of coronavirus in the world, closed borders and disrupted transport communication, the presence of international observers at the elections of the President of Belarus was even a question. The Belarusian party only after the registration phase has extended invitations to observe elections in the OSCE / ODIHR, CIS, SCO, and a number of inter-parliamentary structures. The CEC of Belarus did not invite representatives of the Central election commissions of other countries, including Russia, to monitor the presidential election, explaining that he does not have the resources to provide safe supervision in a complex epidemiological situation.
The OSCE / ODIHR stated that it plans to participate in the monitoring of the electoral campaign in the Republic, the epidemiological situation and later directed an invitation for the formation of the mission. The pandemic is not allowed to come to the polls and observers from the OSCE parliamentary Assembly.
According to August 6, the elections 248 accredited international observers: the CIS - 184, and 64 from the staff of embassies in Belarus. In the previous elections of the President of Belarus in 2015 the monitoring was conducted by 928 international observers, including 344 from the OSCE / ODIHR and the CIS 387.
But in these elections accredited a record number of national observers - 48 642. Alternative candidates called on their supporters to go to the observers to ensure the transparency of elections. However, the CEC of the Republic of the pandemic COVID-19 and to exclude the interference of members of precinct election commissions have limited the number of domestic observers who may be simultaneously at the polling stations. It was decided to reduce the number of observers in the main voting day, up to five people, during early voting to three. Observers allowed into the area by the date of accreditation.