On 24 July the constituency election commissions of Homel region have finished the registration of initiative groups to nominate candidates for Parliament. According to official data, 47 applications were submitted to the election commissions of 17 constituencies.

Uladzimir Shyla, member of the Belarusian Helsinki Committee and observer at Salihorsk constituency No. 69, has lodged an appeal with Minsk regional executive committee, saying that the restrictions on holding election events in Luban district are discriminative.

The administration of a sugar factory in the town of Slutsk has reportedly prohibited its employees to support the nomination of local alternative candidate Aliaksandr Shylovich.

The official web-site of the “Slutski Krai” state-owned newspaper says nothing of signature-collecting events to be held by the potential candidates. The only news it has published since the beginning of the election campaign does not mention the names of the future candidates whose initiative groups have been registered by the election commission of local constituency No. 67.

The overwhelming majority of initiative groups of potential candidates for Parliament representing opposition political parties and movements have been registered by local election commissions, observers of the Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections report.

Leanid Tsimashkou, observer representing the Belarusian Helsinki Committee at Senna constituency election commission No. 30, has lodged a complaint with the Central Election Commission, saying that the nomination of current MP Aliaksandr Papkou was accompanied with certain violations of the electoral legislation.

Siarhei Rusetski and Tamara Shchapiotkina, members of the initiative group of Anatol Sakharusha, have addressed the Central Election Commission with a proposal to review a provision of the Electoral Code that requires all the members of the initiative group to sign an appeal in case their nomination has been dismissed.

Mahiliou pro-democratic activist Aliaksandr Irkho has lodged a complaint with the Central Election commission, urging the officials to reverse an earlier decision by the election commission of constituency No. 86 to deny registration to his initiative group.

The Minsk City Executive Committee has denied permission for Belarusian Christian Democracy (BCD) to stage six more demonstrations to call for boycotting September's House of Representatives elections, BCD Executive Secretary Dzyanis Sadowski told BelaPAN on Tuesday.

Piotr Baseika, employee of the housing and utility department in the town of Khotsimsk, Mahiliou region, is facing dismissal after he chaired the initiative group of local Tell the Truth activist Valery Karankevich.

Following the end of a second sitting of Baranavichy constituency election commission No. 5, local observer Siarhei Housha asked the commission head Mrs. Tatsiana Latyshava to allow studying the minutes, which she rejected.

Here’s the latest news on the registration of future candidates’ initiative groups across the country as reported by the observers of the Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections campaign.

Mahiliou human rights defender Barys Bukhel urges the Central Election Commission to reverse an earlier decision by constituency election commission No. 87 to prohibit audio recording at its sittings.

The Electoral Code does not oblige election commissions to provide observers with information on the date and time of their sittings, as well as on decisions taken, says an official reply from Mrs. Lidziya Yarmoshyna, head of the Central Election Commission, received by Aleh Ramashkevich, observer representing the Belarusian Helsinki Committee in constituency No. 56 in the town of Masty, Hrodna region.

The lists of citizens of Belarus who have the right to vote has about 7 million voters. Ballots are usually cast by more than 5 million. Behind these figures it is difficult to see 40-50 thousand persons deprived of their right to vote in connection with criminal proceedings.