OPPOSITION LEADER SAYS AUTHORITIES PREPARING FOR 'MASS FALSIFICATIONS'

2004-09-02

The Belarusian authorities completed the formation of polling-station commissions on 1 September. In particular, the Belarusian Popular Front (BNF) proposed 27 candidates for polling-station commissions in the election district in Minsk from which BNF leader Vintsuk Vyachorka is seeking a seat in the Chamber of Representatives. Vyachorka told that all of them were rejected. "This confirms my conviction that [President Alyaksandr] Lukashenka's government is going to implement its usual scenario," Vyachorka said. "They don't even have enough brains to create an appearance of democracy by letting a certain number of representatives of democratic forces to sit on district or polling-station commissions.... This shows that they will resort to mass falsifications. Second, this shows their fear. They are afraid of an actual victory by the BNF and all democratic forces in people's minds." Belapan quoted Central Election Commission Secretary Mikalay Lazavik as saying on 3 September that some 8 percent of members on polling-station commissions are representatives of political parties and NGOs, including opposition political parties.