Belarus parliament elections

VITEBSK, 12 September (BelTA) – International observers at the Belarusian parliamentary elections could work in ideal conditions. It was guaranteed by the transparency of the election process and professionalism of organizers, CIS observer in Vitebsk. Deputy chairperson of the Smolensk Oblast association of trade unions Natalia Yepifantseva told BelTA.

“Within two days, my colleague and I visited 27 polling stations in the Vitebsk-Gorky constituency No. 17. There are 37 polling stations in this constituency. We asked the observers who were at the polling stations all the time if there had been any violations. There had not been any. Certainly, we did not reveal any violations either. Why do I say ‘certainly’? The operation of the polling stations was organized well, all people involved in the elections – members and heads of election commissions - were professional. There were ideal conditions for observers. All of us could see the entire process of voting, from the beginning of the voting till the counting of ballots. We could move freely, look through ballots, make sure that they are filled in correctly,” Natalia Yepifantseva said.

She worked as an international observer at the Belarus President elections in 2010. “I cannot say that there have been drastic changes since then. The rooms for voting are more attractive now. Organizers have done a lot to get ready for the elections. The elections are like a celebration for people. I was talking to voters, and all of them come to polling stations voluntarily,” Natalia Yepifantseva concluded.

On 12 September CIS observers arrived in the Vitebsk Oblast Executive Committee to render reports and discuss their conclusions.