Brest election commission does not allow additional seals on ballot boxes

The woman running for a seat in election district #4 filed an appeal with territorial election commission, suggesting that more seals be put on ballot boxes. She even wanted to buy them with money from her own election fund.

“The seals” on ballot boxes are the same as during the previous election – they are exactly the same in every election district, the candidate’s trustee Dzyanis Turchanyak said.

"All the seals are exactly the same at every polling station (over 7 thousands!). Nobody can guarantee that the ballot boxes were sealed at the beginning of the election campaign and not later.”

However, the independent candidate’s suggestion was rejected. The election commission explained it this way: “The Election Code makes no provision for additional seals bought by candidates.”

"It is only necessary to make amendments to the Election Code if it makes no provision for such a case. Then no one would complain about rigged elections. People cannot complain without a reason! There are facts proving that strangers visit the rooms with sealed early vote ballot boxes at night.”

Valyantsina Maltsava wanted to preserve Belarusians’ right to elect and to be elected at fair elections, Dzyanis Turchanyak said. Having a great number of the same seals makes sealing senseless.

The situation at Brest polling station #80 is different. The commission sealed a ballot box because independent observer Margarita Vyalichkina was not satisfied with its construction.