Will Zinaida Bandarenka become senator?
As ERB has found out, any Belarusian citizen can become a senator in theory. However, in reality the authorities have to allow a citizen to get to the Council of the Republic. Citizens can also be appointed by the President.
One more important political event will accompany the parliamentary elections in Belarus – formation of the Council of the Republic. The secretary of the Central Elections Commission Miklai Lazavik has explained to ERB how people could get to the Council of the Republic.
Mikalai Lazavik: “Executive committees and presidiums of basic councils have the right to nominate candidates for the Council of the Republic. They are district executive committees, city executive committees and the corresponding executive district and city Councils of Deputies”.
However, according to him, not only acting deputies can become senators.
Mikalai Lazavik: “You do not have to be a basic deputy. You can be any citizen corresponding to the demands of the Constitution. You simply have to be nominated by a Council or an executive committee”.
According to the secretary of the Central Election Commission, any political party, civil organization or work group can offer candidates to deputies and officials from executive committees. Even opposition parties can do it. ERB has wondered if leaders of the democratic forces have considered the possibility of nominating their candidates to the Council of the Republic.
The UCP leader Anatol Lyabedzka told ERB that the party had considered the step and had already prepared a list of candidates to the position of senators.
Anatol Lyabedzka: “We have discussed this situation in order to suggest our people to Minsk City Council. We have candidates to nominate. For example, Vasil Shlyndzikau, Zinaida Bandarenka and some other people. That is why we will use this opportunity by September 15 and will send our representatives there”.
According to the politician, the chance to get to the Senate is equal to opposition representatives’ chance to be included in district election commissions – 0.05%. However, they are not going to refuse the attempt.
Anatol Lyabedzka: “We can say that the structure is not worth anything as it is impossible to get there. But if we do not try to, the authorities will claim that they would have gladly considered all suggestions if there had been any”…
At the same time, the leader of the Belarusian communist Party Syarhei Kalyakin thinks that all attempts to nominate their representatives are a waste of time.
Syarhei Kalyakin: “The elections are not direct. The terms differ from the terms of parliamentary elections. And there is no chance. So we did not waste our time to get ready for it. We could try to do it if it did not coincide with the parliamentary elections. Now we are busy with more important issues – direct elections allowing us to work with electors. Dealing with that issue would consume a lot of time and the result is clear”.
According to the leader of BNF Vintsuk Vyachorka, this opposition organization will not nominate its candidates to the Senate either.
Vintsuk Vyachorka: “According to the Constitution and to the Election Code, the President and local councils of deputies can nominate their candidates to the Council of the Republic. It is clear that you should have your own deputies to do it. We don’t. So, there can be no nomination”.
ERB has asked a former head of the Council of the Republic Alyaksandr Vaitovich about the opposition’s opportunity of getting to the Senate.
Alyaksandr Vaitovich: “The only thing opposition parties can do is suggesting their candidates. For example, they can only say “Please nominate Mr. Ivanouski or Pyatrouski”. That’s all they can do during a meeting of Minsk City Council of Deputies. There is no collection of signatures needed. The city Council of Deputies will gather and there is no chance to be elected or even nominated for the elections”.
It turns out that the democracy of Belarusian elections is still limited to the authorities’ instructions indicating what candidates can be elected and who should elect them.
One more important political event will accompany the parliamentary elections in Belarus – formation of the Council of the Republic. The secretary of the Central Elections Commission Miklai Lazavik has explained to ERB how people could get to the Council of the Republic.
Mikalai Lazavik: “Executive committees and presidiums of basic councils have the right to nominate candidates for the Council of the Republic. They are district executive committees, city executive committees and the corresponding executive district and city Councils of Deputies”.
However, according to him, not only acting deputies can become senators.
Mikalai Lazavik: “You do not have to be a basic deputy. You can be any citizen corresponding to the demands of the Constitution. You simply have to be nominated by a Council or an executive committee”.
According to the secretary of the Central Election Commission, any political party, civil organization or work group can offer candidates to deputies and officials from executive committees. Even opposition parties can do it. ERB has wondered if leaders of the democratic forces have considered the possibility of nominating their candidates to the Council of the Republic.
The UCP leader Anatol Lyabedzka told ERB that the party had considered the step and had already prepared a list of candidates to the position of senators.
Anatol Lyabedzka: “We have discussed this situation in order to suggest our people to Minsk City Council. We have candidates to nominate. For example, Vasil Shlyndzikau, Zinaida Bandarenka and some other people. That is why we will use this opportunity by September 15 and will send our representatives there”.
According to the politician, the chance to get to the Senate is equal to opposition representatives’ chance to be included in district election commissions – 0.05%. However, they are not going to refuse the attempt.
Anatol Lyabedzka: “We can say that the structure is not worth anything as it is impossible to get there. But if we do not try to, the authorities will claim that they would have gladly considered all suggestions if there had been any”…
At the same time, the leader of the Belarusian communist Party Syarhei Kalyakin thinks that all attempts to nominate their representatives are a waste of time.
Syarhei Kalyakin: “The elections are not direct. The terms differ from the terms of parliamentary elections. And there is no chance. So we did not waste our time to get ready for it. We could try to do it if it did not coincide with the parliamentary elections. Now we are busy with more important issues – direct elections allowing us to work with electors. Dealing with that issue would consume a lot of time and the result is clear”.
According to the leader of BNF Vintsuk Vyachorka, this opposition organization will not nominate its candidates to the Senate either.
Vintsuk Vyachorka: “According to the Constitution and to the Election Code, the President and local councils of deputies can nominate their candidates to the Council of the Republic. It is clear that you should have your own deputies to do it. We don’t. So, there can be no nomination”.
ERB has asked a former head of the Council of the Republic Alyaksandr Vaitovich about the opposition’s opportunity of getting to the Senate.
Alyaksandr Vaitovich: “The only thing opposition parties can do is suggesting their candidates. For example, they can only say “Please nominate Mr. Ivanouski or Pyatrouski”. That’s all they can do during a meeting of Minsk City Council of Deputies. There is no collection of signatures needed. The city Council of Deputies will gather and there is no chance to be elected or even nominated for the elections”.
It turns out that the democracy of Belarusian elections is still limited to the authorities’ instructions indicating what candidates can be elected and who should elect them.
