Presidential election 2015 in Belarus

MINSK, 16 July (BelTA) – The Central Election Commission of Belarus has received documents required to register an initiative group for collecting voter signatures to nominate Nikolai Statkevich as a presidential candidate, BelTA learned from the website of the Central Election Commission of Belarus.

His initiative group will be supervised by Marina Adamovich. Thus, seven applications for registering initiative groups to collect signatures to nominate presidential candidates have been submitted so far.

Earlier on 16 July Belarus’ CEC received documents to register the initiative group to nominate Andrei Konovets as a presidential candidate. His group is led by Dmitry Pilipchuk. Documents to register the initiative group to nominate Tatiana Korotkevich as a presidential candidate were submitted as well. The group is led by Andrei Dmitriyev. The third package of documents received by the CEC on 16 July specifies the establishment of an initiative group for the sake of nominating Anatoly Lebedko as a presidential candidate. The group is led by Viktor Korneyenko.

On 14 July Belarus' CEC received documents for registering the initiative group to nominate Alexander Lukashenko as a presidential candidate. Mikhail Orda is the head of the group. On 15 July Belarus' CEC received documents for registering the initiative group of citizens that will collect voter signatures to nominate Sergei Kalyakin as a presidential candidate. His initiative group is led by Valery Ukhnalev. After that, documents were submitted for registering the initiative group to nominate Sergei Gaidukevich as a presidential candidate. Anatoly Khishchenko is the head of the group.

BelTA reported earlier that a session of the Central Election Commission of Belarus will be held on 17 July to allow the registration of these groups or only some of them. In accordance with the legislation the CEC is expected to make such decisions within five days after the documents to register an initiative group are submitted. The CEC will refuse to register an initiative group if regulations of the Electoral Code are violated. The person willing to become a presidential candidate can appeal against the CEC's refusal to register the initiative group. The appeal has to be filed with the Supreme Court within three days of the CEC's decision to refuse registration.

Voter signatures will be collected from 23 July through 21 August. At least 100,000 signatures are needed for a candidate to get registered. Belarus citizens are free to give their signatures to several candidates, however, they can give their signatures to a specific candidate only once. Apart from that, an initiative group has to include at least 100 people.

In order to collect signatures members of initiative groups will have to have an identification document issued by the Central Election Commission and a personal identification document. These documents have to be produced to the voters. Signatures can be collected via picketing. No permission to picket is necessary if picketing takes place in locations other than those recognized by municipal authorities as unacceptable for picketing. Signatures can be collected from military personnel in Belarusian army units on approval of the commander of the specific army unit during off-hours at the location specified by the unit commander. In order to collect signatures in a hall of residence members of initiative groups will have to observe visitor rules of the specific hall of residence.

Citizens cannot be forced to sign or be rewarded for signing. Rewards are recognized as money, gifts, other material values, discounts on prices for merchandise or preferential prices for services. The administration of an organization cannot be involved in signature collection during business hours.

Citizens, who are nominated as presidential candidates, cannot order persons in their employ to collect signatures during business hours. Signatures cannot be collected during business trips. Members of initiative groups cannot give away printed materials to voters during signature collection. Information materials containing biographic data about the persons that citizens sign up for can be provided to voters only for reading and have to be returned afterwards.

Coordinators of initiative groups will have to submit signature lists to the relevant election commissions on 21 August 2015 at the latest.

A person, who is born as a citizen of the Republic of Belarus, is at least 35 years of age, is entitled to vote, and has lived in Belarus for at least ten years right before the election, can run for the presidency. Persons with a previous conviction cannot run for the presidency. An initiative group can include only voters, in other words, citizens of the Republic of Belarus, who are at least 18 years old. Citizens recognized by court as legally incompetent and citizens serving their sentence in penitentiary facilities are not allowed to take part in an election.