FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
Belarus is holding parliamentary elections that are clearly controlled and under high security measures at the polling stations. The opposition called for a boycott. The votes are expected to strengthen the position of authoritarian leader Alyaksandr Lukashenko.
Only four parties supporting Lukashenkus' policies were allowed to officially register to run: Belaya Rus, the Communist Party, the Liberal-Democratic Party, and the Labor and Justice Party. About a dozen other political forces were denied registration last year.
Belarusian opposition leader Svyatlanta Tsikhanouskaya, who said she was robbed of victory against Lukashenko in the 2020 election, has described the election as a "farce" and called for a boycott. From Lithuania, where he is staying to escape arrest, he said:
On the ballot, there are no people who would offer real change because the regime has only allowed puppets to suit it.
The first time that political elections are held in Belarus since the 2020 presidential elections when Lukashenko won his sixth term. More than 35,000 people were arrested during months of mass protests, fueled by disputed elections.
After voting, Lukashenko told reporters that he will again run for president in 2025.
"Tell them (the opposition) that I will compete," he said.
The Central Election Commission of Belarus (CEC) announced a record number of early voting, which began on February 20.
"Nearly 48% of registered voters have voted by February 24".
Early voting is described by observers as the mechanism used by the Belarusian authorities to falsify the elections. The Belarusian opposition has said that the early voting process allows the election to be manipulated as the ballot boxes are not protected for a five-day period.
Viasna, the Center for Human Rights reported that many voters were forced to vote early, including students, soldiers, teachers and other administration workers.
The authorities are using all the means at their disposal to achieve the result they need, from broadcasting television propaganda to forcing voters to cast their ballots early. During the voting there are bans, arrests and controls.
Belarusian authorities have beefed up security on the streets and at polling stations across the country, while police have been training how to deal with voters who might try to break the restrictive rules set for the election.
For the first time, curtains have been removed from polling stations and voters are banned from taking pictures of their ballots, a practice pushed by campaigners in past elections to try to curb tampering during the vote count.
Without evidence, Lukashenko has claimed that Western countries are considering ways to stage a coup and ordered police to increase armed patrols in the country to ensure "law and order".
For the first time, election observers from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) were not allowed to follow the elections in Belarus, an OSCE member state.
After the vote, Belarus is expected to form a parliament with 1,200 seats, with broad powers to appoint judges and election officials, as well as to consider changes to the Constitution. Voting centers opened at 08:00 local time and will close at 20:00.
Lini një Përgjigje