Two opposition candidates gain House of Representatives seats
Syarhey KARALEVICH. Naviny.by
12 September 2016, 23:05
Two opposition candidates gained seats in the 110-member House of Representatives as a result of the September 6-11 elections, according to the central election commission.
Hanna Kanapatskaya, a 39-year-old member of the United Civic Party (UCP), was declared the winner in Electoral District No. 97 in Minsk. Her rivals included, among others, Alyaksandr Drozha, chief of the Minsk Pasazhyrski train terminal, and Tatsyana Karatkevich, a former presidential candidate and leader of the "Tell the Truth!" movement.
When reached by BelaPAN, UCP leader Anatol Lyabedzka described Ms. Kanapatskaya, a businesswoman, as a "charismatic and well-educated" person who had made no secret of her opposition views during the electioneering stage.
The UCP still believes that the elections were neither free nor fair and fell short of the OSCE standards, said Mr. Lyabedzka. "The election of Kanapatskaya will not influence our assessment of this electoral campaign," he stressed.
Alena Anisim, deputy chairperson of the Francisak Skaryna Belarusian Language Society (BLS), was declared the winner in Electoral District No. 70 in the Minsk region.
In an interview with BelaPAN, Ms. Anisim, 54, said that she was excited with the news and described her election victory as logical.
The activist said that she would use her MP status to push for a law requiring the government to support the Belarusian language. The BLS has already drawn up such legislation, she said.
Ms. Anisim said that she had never met Ms. Kanapatskaya. "I think we will share an opinion on some issues," she noted.
12 September 2016, 23:05
Hanna Kanapatskaya, a 39-year-old member of the United Civic Party (UCP), was declared the winner in Electoral District No. 97 in Minsk. Her rivals included, among others, Alyaksandr Drozha, chief of the Minsk Pasazhyrski train terminal, and Tatsyana Karatkevich, a former presidential candidate and leader of the "Tell the Truth!" movement.
When reached by BelaPAN, UCP leader Anatol Lyabedzka described Ms. Kanapatskaya, a businesswoman, as a "charismatic and well-educated" person who had made no secret of her opposition views during the electioneering stage.
The UCP still believes that the elections were neither free nor fair and fell short of the OSCE standards, said Mr. Lyabedzka. "The election of Kanapatskaya will not influence our assessment of this electoral campaign," he stressed.
Alena Anisim, deputy chairperson of the Francisak Skaryna Belarusian Language Society (BLS), was declared the winner in Electoral District No. 70 in the Minsk region.
In an interview with BelaPAN, Ms. Anisim, 54, said that she was excited with the news and described her election victory as logical.
The activist said that she would use her MP status to push for a law requiring the government to support the Belarusian language. The BLS has already drawn up such legislation, she said.
Ms. Anisim said that she had never met Ms. Kanapatskaya. "I think we will share an opinion on some issues," she noted.
