The election commission of Hrodna-based polling station No. 22, covering the population of 1,910 voters, has received 2,400 ballots, i.e. 25% more than needed, says observer of the For Fair Elections campaign Aliaksandr Lemekh.

Vitsebsk Kastrychnitski District Court sentenced today Yauhen Hutsalau, observer representing the Belarusian Christian Democracy, to 7 days of administrative arrest for staging a picket calling for election boycott on 17 September.

Early Voting: Day 1

At least four independent observers representing the Belarusian Popular Front have been denied today access to the polling stations of Mahiliou constituency No. 87.

Two short-term observers of the OSCE’s PA mission to Belarus have been denied visas by the authorities, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reports, quoting the mission’s head Matteo Mecacci. The Belarusian MFA refused to issue visas to two MPs from Lithuania and Germany.

On 18 September, the Central Election Commission upheld a warning addressed to candidate Andrei Yurkou, running in Horki constituency No. 82 (Mahiliou region) and supported by the For Freedom movement.

Yauhen Hutsalau, observer detained on 18 September at Vitsebsk polling station No. 71, is facing charges of staging an unauthorized picket, as he is being held in the city’s detention center.

Tatsiana Novikava, chair of Zhodzina election commission No. 19, refused to seal an opening under the lid of a ballot box located in constituency No. 64, local observer Aliaksei Lapitski reports.

Lida police confiscated yesterday some 15,000 leaflets produced by the United Civil Party. The leaflets cover the issues related to the current election campaign, calling voters to boycott the pseudo elections.

The election officials of polling station No. 3 in the town of Horki, Mahiliou region, can now recognize the elections valid, after some 250 voters cast their ballots within half an hour on the first day of the early vote campaign.

The ideology department of Salihorsk district executive committee launched last week a campaign of forced early voting. The coercion is said to be exercised through the managers of local state-owned and private enterprises, say reports by employees.

Vitsebsk resident Volha Kavalenka has submitted a complaint to the constituency election commission, after she received an invitation to vote bearing the name of her husband, who passed away in 2009.

On 17 September, Ryhor Kastusiou, deputy chairman of the Belarusian Popular Front running for Parliament in Shklou constituency No. 90, received replies to his complaints submitted to the central Election Commissions and the constituency election commission.

The students of a number of education institutions of Vitsebsk have been forced to cast their ballots during lessons, observers at constituency No. 20 report.

At least 30 observers representing the United Civil Party have been denied access to the polling stations in Mahiliou constituency No. 87, as the early vote stage of the election campaign started today.