English

Movement for Freedom set to deploy more than 200 observers

The Council of the Movement for Freedom on Saturday decided to deploy more than 200 observers to monitor the September 18-23 House of Representatives elections and concentrate its observation effort on Frunzenskaya Electoral District No. 101 in Minsk, Yury Hubarevich, deputy chairman of the Movement, told BelaPAN.

The district is the target of an “active boycott” conducted by the Movement for Freedom, the Belarusian Popular Front (BPF), the “Tell the Truth!” movement and its youth wing Zmena.

BPF member Artsyom Lyava is a candidate in the district, but the party decided Saturday to withdraw its candidates.

Activists of the Movement for Freedom will monitor the voting process in a total of 15 electoral districts in Minsk and the Minsk, Vitsyebsk and Homyel regions, Mr. Hubarevich said.

The Movement for Freedom has decided not to call on parliamentary candidates for anything, he noted. “We did not nominate candidates and therefore cannot interfere in the affairs of organizations that nominated them or are withdrawing them now,” he said. However, the Movement welcomes the BPF’s decision to withdraw its candidates, he added.

Within the framework of their boycott campaign, the Movement for Freedom, the BPF, the “Tell the Truth!” movement and Zmena plan to ensure constant presence at the 35 polling stations of Electoral District No. 101 during all the six days of voting, with 210 to 280 observers to be involved. In addition, they plan to flyers and special editions of their publications to about 20,000 households, stage demonstrations, hold meetings with voters and send out warnings to members of election commissions about the inadmissibility of law violations.