DATE OF THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

The President of Belarus shall be elected or re-elected every five years.

On 16 December 2005, the House of Representative of the National Assembly announced 19 March 2006 as the date of the coming presidential election.

STAGES OF THE CAMPAIGN

The election campaign will consist of the following stages.

- Possible candidates' have to appeal for registration from 29 December 2005 to 27 January 2006.

- The Central Election Commission shall register the candidates from 12 to 21 February 2006.

- The campaigning lasts from the moment of candidates' registration to the election eve.

- Early voting at all polling stations starts five days before the election.

- The first round is due to take place on 19 March 2006.

- The Central Election Commission shall announce the first round results 10 days after the polling date at the latest.

- If none of the candidates manages to win more than 50 percent of the vote in the first round, the Central Election Commission is to set the runoff round not later than two weeks after the first round.

- Not later than three days after finalizing the election results, the Central Election Commission is to announce the winner.

ELECTION ORGANISATION

Elections in Belarus are organized and conducted by the Central Commission for Elections and Referenda in the Republic of Belarus (Central Election Commission). According to the Election Code, the Central Election Commission shall initiate the creation of Oblast, regional, municipal and district commissions and the Minsk City Commission.

CANDIDATES' REGISTRATION

Under the constitution, president of Belarus must be a citizen of Belarus by birth aged 35 or older. The president must have the right to vote and must have lived in Belarus at least 10 years before the elections.

To be registered as candidate, one must collect at least 100,000 signatures of Belarusian citizens in his or her support to be nominated, and then formally record them according to the election legislation requirements.

REGISTRATION DENIAL

One may be denied registration as candidate if he or she does not meet any of the requirements of Article 80 of the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus. One may also be denied registration if he or she violates election law when collecting signatures and filling registration documents.

According to the Electoral Code, no less than 20 percent of the signatures in support of a candidate are subject to check. In at least 15 percent of the checked signatures are declared invalid, the candidate is denied registration.

The following signatures are considered invalid:

- fictitious signatures;

- signatures made on behalf of several persons by one person, or on behalf of one person by another person;

- signatures of persons who do not have the right to vote;

- signatures of voters who gave wrong information about themselves on the signature-collecting lists;

- signatures collected before the official term of the nomination of candidates;

- signatures, which do not include all the information about the voter that is required by the Electoral Code (last name, first name, middle name, passport information, date of birth, place of residence, the signature itself);

- lists of signatures that include persons who reside in different localities, and for the cities that are separated in districts - of those who reside in different districts;

- when information about voters is put on the list not personally or in pencil;

- all signatures collected not by a member of a candidate's initiative group.

- lists of signatures, which are not signed by the member of an initiative group who collected these signatures;

- signatures that are not confirmed by a stamp of the executive agency that administrates the territory where the signatures were collected.

One may also be denied registration if he or she declares incorrect personal information such as biography notes or income and property records.

RIGHT TO VOTE

Citizens of Belarus 18 years or older have the right to vote. Citizens who are declared legally incapable by court or sentenced to imprisonment have no right to vote.

VOTING PROCEDURES

According to the election legislation of the Republic of Belarus, early voting may be organised starting five days before the ballot day. All the ballot stations shall be open 10.00 through 14.00 and 16.00 through 19.00 for early voting.

On the ballot day, all the ballot station shall be open during 12 hours from 08.00 till 20.00.

CONDITIONS FOR WINNING THE ELECTION

For the elections to be declared valid, it is necessary that 50 percent of registered voters cast their ballots. The winning candidate needs the support of more than 50 percent of those who voted. If none of the candidates achieves this, a runoff is to be held in round two between the two leading candidates, with the eventual winner needing the simple majority. If one of the two candidates withdraws in the second round, the remaining candidate needs more than 50 percent of those who vote to support him.

FINANCING OF THE ELECTIONS

According to the Electoral Code, the elections in Belarus are financed from the state budget.

On 16 December 2005, the Central Election Commission agreed that the 2006 presidential elections in Belarus would cost Br35.325 billion.