Belarus parliament elections

MINSK, 5 September (BelTA) – Polling stations all over Belarus have received ballots and are ready for early voting. The relevant information was mentioned during the video conference organized by the Central Election Committee of Belarus in the information center Elections 2016 in the Palace of the Republic on 5 September, BelTA has learned.

Representatives of election commissions from Brest Oblast, Vitebsk Oblast, Gomel Oblast, Grodno Oblast, Mogilev Oblast, Minsk Oblast and the city of Minsk informed Chairwoman of the Central Election Commission (CEC) of Belarus Lidia Yermoshina that their polling stations are ready for voting. It was noted that the polling stations had received ballots for early voting and no disruptions in their work was expected. All the regions have yet to contact the information center at their own designated times in order to inform about their readiness to work on the main voting day, 11 September.

Deputy Head of the Belarus President Administration Igor Buzovsky was also made familiar with the readiness of the information center for work. Talking to mass media, the official noted that the Information Ministry and the Central Election Commission had once again demonstrated the standards and the experience of organizing the operation of such centers, which are designed to interact with the general public on the main voting day. Igor Buzovsky said he was confident that everything will be organized properly and Belarus citizens and reporters will be granted an opportunity to closely follow the events that will take place as part of the parliamentary elections.

Early voting to elect members of the lower chamber of the Belarusian parliament is scheduled to begin on 6 September. Voters, who cannot come to the polls on the main voting day, are invited to cast their votes till 10 September from 10:00 to 14:00 and from 16:00 to 19:00. Such voters will not have to explain why they cannot cast votes on the main voting day.

Early votes can be cast only at the local polling station in presence of at least two members of the local election commission. Voters cannot cast their votes in their own residencies or at polling stations set up in sanatoriums, resorts, hospitals and other healthcare institutions that provide stationary medical aid. Early votes cannot be cast by citizens under arrest or by citizens in occupational therapy rehabilitation centers.

Ballots can be acquired by producing civil passports or other documents. The latter include a civil servant identification card, a university student identification card, a driver’s license, a military service card (for active-duty military personnel), a pensioner identification card (if it has the bearer’s photo), a temporary certificate issued by police to citizens, who have lost their passports, and an identification card for people with disabilities.

Belarusian citizens, who are outside Belarus, can cast early votes using their own local time.