Brest: observer gets deprived of accreditation at one polling station and denied accreditation at another
October 9, human rights activist Uladzimir Vialichkin was deprived of his accreditation as an observer at polling station No. 7 in the Maskoŭski district of Brest.
According to Mr. Vialichkin, 16 observers are accredited at the polling station, and he tried to find out who had nominated them on the very first day, asking the chair of the commission, Iryna Kapylova, about it. However, she refused to tell it. Instead, he managed to learn that at least four of the observers were subordinated to her at work (she heads kindergarten No. 53). Moreover, a half of the commission members work in the same kindergarten.
During the three first days of early voting Uladzimir Vialichkin attentively registered all that was going at the polling station, asked questions and made remarks. This provoked a nervous reaction of the commission chairperson, who stated that such actions could be regarded as interference with the work of the commission.
On the fourth day of early voting Mr. Vialichkin stated that the discrepancy between his calculations and the turnout stated in the commission's protocols was 50 persons, the chairperson stated that he was putting the question of depriving him of his accreditation. After the dinner break the commission held a sitting and supported her proposal.
On October 10 Uladzimir Vialichkin tried to get accredited as an observer at polling station No. 6 I the Maskoŭski district of Brest. The commission found a mistake in the protocol of his nomination as an observer by the Independent Trade Union of Radio-electronic Industry and refused to accredit him. In two hours he returned with a corrected nomination protocol, but the commission denied him accreditation again after phoning to the head of the territorial election commission of the Maskoŭski district of Brest Halina Yanholenka. The reason that was voiced – he had been deprived of accreditation at another polling station, but in the written document the reason was – mistrust to the quick correction of the mistake in the nomination protocol.
"Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections"