Presidential election 2015 in Belarus

On 10 September the Central Election Commission (CEC) registered four candidates for Belarus’ presidency, namely Sergei Gaidukevich, Tatiana Korotkevich, Alexander Lukashenko and Nikolai Ulakhovich. The presidential candidates received the corresponding certificates.

The Belarusian laws prohibit calls for boycotting or disrupting election. Campaigning for electoral participation or particular candidates is allowed.

Every candidate in Belarus’ presidential election gets two 30-minute sessions of free-of-charge air time on the Belarus One TV Channel and the First National Channel of the Belarusian Radio each.

According to the draw held at the CEC meeting on 10 September, Sergei Gaidukevich will speak on 15 and 25 September on TV and on 23 and 30 September (6.10-6.40am local time) on the radio. Tatiana Korotkevich has been allocated free TV air time on 17 and 24 September and on 25 September (6.10-6.40am) and 2 October (6.40-7.10am) on the radio. Alexander Lukashenko will get his televised time on 16 and 23 September and will speak on the radio on 23 September (6.40-7.10am) and 30 September (6.40-7.10am). Nikolai Ulakhovich’s speech will be broadcast live on TV on 18 and 22 September and on 25 September (6.40-7.10am) and 2 October (6.10-6.40am) on the radio.

Televised debates of the candidates will be aired by the Belarus One TV Channel on 3 October. The candidates will have 60 minutes of air time. Either presidential candidates or their proxies can take part in the TV debates.

Apart from that, the candidates will have a possibility to publish their pre-election programs in some of the Belarusian newspapers free-of-charge. The size of each pre-election program should not exceed five typewritten pages.

Local authorities are obliged to allocate venues for campaign events on an equal basis for all candidates. For instance, in Minsk campaign events can be held in any places fit for these purposes, except for the metro, rail and air transport, subways, bridges and crossovers, traffic ways; Oktyabrskaya Square, Nezavisimosti Square, Victory Square, State Flag Square, Yakub Kolas Square, near the President’s residences, the National Assembly, the Council of Ministers, national government bodies, local representative, executive and regulatory bodies, diplomatic representations and consular establishments, courts, procuracy bodies, organizations securing the country’s defense potential and security, preschool institutions.

The presidential election in Belarus will take place on 11 October. Currently the election process in the country is monitored by OSCE/ODIHR and CIS long-term observers. Short-term observers will arrive in the country on the election day. It is expected that monitoring the presidential election in Belarus will also be PACE representatives (the PACE visited Belarus with its pre-electoral mission on 8-9 September). The Belarusian CEC also sent invitations to the central election commissions of other states.