Belarusian parliamentary election, 2008
Encyclopedia
The Belarusian parliamentary election, 2008 was held in Belarus
on 28 September 2008. The 110 seats in the House of Representatives were at stake.
Lidia Yermoshina
, the Chairperson of the Central Election Commission, announced on 29 August that 276 candidates were registered for the election; 365 people initially sought to run, but five withdrew and candidate registration for 84 others was rejected. Just prior to the election, the number of the registered candidates was reduced to 263; 82 of the candidates were members of political parties, the others were non-partisans loyal to the government. They included chief executives of local authorities and medical institutions, and top managers of large enterprises. The election was attempted to be monitored by 925 international and more than 17,000 local observers, including an Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
(OSCE) mission consisting of some 450 members from 43 countries. Belarusian citizens abroad were able to cast their votes at 40 polling station
s located in 31 countries. Advance voting occurred on September 23 through September 26 and was characterized by active participation: more than 26% of registered voters cast their ballots. Voter turnout was reported to be 76.7%.
According to the OSCE, the elections were undemocratic and the work of international observers was seriously hindered as the observers were refused access to the facilities where the votes were counted. But according to a CIS election observation mission, the elections in Belarus conformed to international standards.
According to the official results the oppositional parties failed to gain any of the 110 available seats, all of which were given to parties and non-partisan candidates loyal to president Alexander Lukashenko
. The Central Election Commission declared this to be due to the overwhelming popular fear of mass demonstrations and of the "radical political changes" demanded by the opposition. This declaration was met with immediate anti-governmental demonstrations in the centre of Minsk
protesting against electoral fraud
. President Lukashenko commented that the opposition in Belarus is financed by foreign countries and is not needed.
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
on 28 September 2008. The 110 seats in the House of Representatives were at stake.
Lidia Yermoshina
Lidia Yermoshina
Lidia Mikhailovna Yermoshina is a Belarusian politician. She has been a member of the Central Election Commission of Belarus since 1992, and Chairwoman since 1996...
, the Chairperson of the Central Election Commission, announced on 29 August that 276 candidates were registered for the election; 365 people initially sought to run, but five withdrew and candidate registration for 84 others was rejected. Just prior to the election, the number of the registered candidates was reduced to 263; 82 of the candidates were members of political parties, the others were non-partisans loyal to the government. They included chief executives of local authorities and medical institutions, and top managers of large enterprises. The election was attempted to be monitored by 925 international and more than 17,000 local observers, including an Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe is the world's largest security-oriented intergovernmental organization. Its mandate includes issues such as arms control, human rights, freedom of the press and fair elections...
(OSCE) mission consisting of some 450 members from 43 countries. Belarusian citizens abroad were able to cast their votes at 40 polling station
Polling station
A polling place or polling station is where voters cast their ballots in elections.Since elections generally take place over a one- or two-day span on a periodic basis, often annual or longer, polling places are often located in facilities used for other purposes, such as schools, churches, sports...
s located in 31 countries. Advance voting occurred on September 23 through September 26 and was characterized by active participation: more than 26% of registered voters cast their ballots. Voter turnout was reported to be 76.7%.
According to the OSCE, the elections were undemocratic and the work of international observers was seriously hindered as the observers were refused access to the facilities where the votes were counted. But according to a CIS election observation mission, the elections in Belarus conformed to international standards.
Results
| Party | Votes | % | Seats | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Communist Party of Belarus Communist Party of Belarus The Communist Party of Belarus is a political party in Belarus, that supports the government of president Alexander Lukashenko. It was created in 1996. The leader of the party is Tatsyana Holubeva.... |
6 | –2 | ||
| Agrarian Party of Belarus Agrarian Party of Belarus The Agrarian Party is an agrarian and communist political party in Belarus that supports the government of president Alexander Lukashenko.It was created in 1992. Leader of the party is Mikhail Shimansky. The Agrarian Party obtained 3 seats during the 13 and 17 October 2004 Belarus House of... |
1 | –2 | ||
| Independents | 103 | |||
| Invalid/blank votes | 113,999 | – | – | – |
| Total | 5,384,647 | 100 | 110 | 0 |
| Source: Nohlen & Stöver | ||||
According to the official results the oppositional parties failed to gain any of the 110 available seats, all of which were given to parties and non-partisan candidates loyal to president Alexander Lukashenko
Alexander Lukashenko
Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko has been serving as the President of Belarus since 20 July 1994. Before his career as a politician, Lukashenko worked as director of a state-owned agricultural farm. Under Lukashenko's rule, Belarus has come to be viewed as a state whose conduct is out of line...
. The Central Election Commission declared this to be due to the overwhelming popular fear of mass demonstrations and of the "radical political changes" demanded by the opposition. This declaration was met with immediate anti-governmental demonstrations in the centre of Minsk
Minsk
- Ecological situation :The ecological situation is monitored by Republican Center of Radioactive and Environmental Control .During 2003–2008 the overall weight of contaminants increased from 186,000 to 247,400 tons. The change of gas as industrial fuel to mazut for financial reasons has worsened...
protesting against electoral fraud
Electoral fraud
Electoral fraud is illegal interference with the process of an election. Acts of fraud affect vote counts to bring about an election result, whether by increasing the vote share of the favored candidate, depressing the vote share of the rival candidates or both...
. President Lukashenko commented that the opposition in Belarus is financed by foreign countries and is not needed.