5 things to know about Belarus election for now
12 September 2016, 23:11
Belarusians went to the polls on Sunday, September 11, to choose candidates for 110 seats in the Parliament. The election was held amid a light thaw between Belarus and the West with U.S. and European sanctions eased over the past year. The election is expected to figure positively in future sanctions reviews.
The latest reports from elections commision highlight some interesting results that had not been observed for many years. Time will show whether these will make a positive impact on the life of the people.
Opposition makes a rare gain. At least two opposition candidates have won seats in parliamentary elections in Belarus, their first representation in the chamber for 12 years.
The Electoral Commission said Anna Konopatskaya of the United Civil Party and an independent candidate Elena Anisim won seats in the lower house.
38 women in the Parliament. Representation of women in the Parliament has risen, the head of the CEC Lidia Yermoshina noted on Monday. They will make 34% of sixth convocation of the House of Representatives. The number of women MPs has increased by 9 people compared to four years ago.
The turnout reached 74.8%. 5,212,745 voters made their choice in the elections. “This number largerly coincides with the figure registered four years ago”, Lidia Yermoshina said.
28 MPs got re-elected. Four candidates were re-elected in Brest region, five in Vitebsk, seven in Gomel, three in Grodno and Minsk regions. One preson was re-elected in Mogilev region and five PMs – in Minsk.
Yermoshina called these elections very liberal: “These have been the most liberal elections over the past 20 years. I am talking about parliamentary campaigns. All candidates enjoyed the broadest opportunities for self-expression.”
Final results will be announced by the end of the week. “I hope we would announce final results this Friday, and within 30 days after the elections, that is, on the last possible day, October 10, the first session will open in the House of Representatives”, the CEC head stated.
