Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections

June 30, Baranavičy entrepreneur and social activist Mikalai Charnavus filed an appeal to Baranavičy City Executive Committee, asking to include him and four more people in the electoral team of the incumbent president, Aliaksandr Lukashenka.

Salihorsk human rights activists speak of the pre-election lull in the media landscape of the region.

Observation of the presidential elections of the Republic of Belarus is carried out by activists of Belarusian Helsinki Committee and the Human Rights Center "Viasna" in the framework of the campaign "Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections".

In central Baranavičy and in the suburbs there are still no posters and banners dedicated to the presidential elections, appointed on October 11, 2015.

The beginning of the presidential campaign of the Republic of Belarus is almost impercievable in the town of Chocimsk and in the Chocimsk district.

In the current presidential elections domestic observers will for the first time need to acquire mandatory accreditation. RFE/RL tried to find why it was necessary and how this innovation would affect the work of the Belarusian observers.

July 8, human rights activist Sviatlana Rudkouskaya came to Hrodna City Executive Committee to get registered as a representative of the Belarusian Helsinki Committee for observing the joint sitting of the Presidium of Hrodna City Executive Committee and Hrodna City Council on forming territorial election commissions.

July 9, Kruhlaje District Executive Committee adopted a resolution to list the sites where it was prohibited to collect signatures for the nomination of a person as a candidate for President of the Republic of Belarus.

Members of the campaign "Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections" offer the Central Election Commission (CEC) to implement 3 new practices to increase transparency of the elections:

The electoral campaign in Babrujsk was launched quietly, without any surprises. The local opposition parties and their branches have already determined their pretenders for candidates and are forming the electoral teams (initiative groups).

June 30, the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus determined the date for presidential elections - October 11, 2015.

The campaign for the presidential election of the Republic of Belarus has not yet aroused great interest among the state media of the Mahilioŭ region.

The lawyer of the Belarusian Helsinki Committee Hary Pahaniaila talks about the differences between the current presidential campaign from the previous ones and the main difficulties faced by the observers.

On July 1-19 the district executive committees in Belarus accept documents for the nomination of candidates for President of the Republic of Belarus within the framework of the electoral campaign.

The independent campaign “Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections” started its activities in the Hrodna region with the proclamation of the presidential elections.