English

Current presidential campaign is «height of liberalism,» top election official says

The current presidential election campaign is “the height of liberalism,” Lidziya Yarmoshyna, head of the central election commission, told reporters in Minsk on Thursday, BelaPAN said.

She expressed hope that the maximum possible number of presidential hopefuls would get registered as candidates.

Ms. Yarmoshyna noted that the central election commission had received few complaints. “If a complaint contains specific information, we conduct an on-the-spot probe,” she said. “Not a single allegation of compulsion to put signatures in support of a contender has proved true.”

Speaking about the warning that the central election commission had issued earlier in the day to the nomination group of presidential hopeful Uladzimir Nyaklyayew for premature electioneering and other electoral violations, Ms. Yarmoshyna said that this warning would be enough for denying Mr. Nyaklyayew registration as a candidate if violations persisted.

“Registration denial is a very harsh measure. We are not considering such a move at the moment,” Ms. Yarmoshyna said, expressing hope that Mr. Nyaklyayew’s nomination group would right itself.

Ms. Yarmoshyna said that the central election commission had not tried to find out who had ordered a printing house in Russia to print campaign flyers for Mr. Nyaklyayew. “The main thing is that these campaign materials were distributed by the nomination group of Nyaklyayew and this was the main ground for our decision to issue the warning,” she noted.

Ms. Yarmoshyna also said that the broadcast of television and radio debates in a pre-recorded format would help candidates show themselves in a favorable light. “Not all candidates are experienced media fighters,” she noted.

She said that a council for media supervision would be established for the period of the presidential election campaign. “The main function of the council will be to consider disputes about the use of media outlets and the media’s behavior,” she said. “This will be expert assistance from the central commission.”

The council will be headed by First Deputy Information Minister Liliya Ananich. According to Ms. Yarmoshyna, the council’s members were selected on the basis of recommendations from the Ministry of Information, the Belarusian State Television and Radio Company, and the Belarusian Union of Journalists.

A revision of the results of the 2006 presidential election is out of the question, Ms. Yarmoshyna said, commenting on prominent Internet blogger Yawhen Lipkovich’s allegation that Alyaksandr Lukashenka provided false information in his 2005 income statement necessary to get access to the ballot, by indicating that he had two sons, whereas he actually had three sons.

“This cannot be a ground for revising or annulling election results,” Ms. Yarmoshyna said, describing Mr. Lipkovich’s allegation as an attempt to become famous.