Belarusian opposition wins no seat in parliament

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Belarusian opposition failed to win any parliamentary seats in voting on Sunday, Sept 23, the chairwoman of the Central Election Commission said on Monday morning, citing reports from the election districts.

“It’s doubtful that any [opposition candidates] won. None of the districts said anything about that,” Chairwoman Lidia Yermoshina said, adding that at present she had only seen a list of the names of the winning candidates.

The winners have been determined for 109 out of 110 districts, Yermoshina said. The vote in one district was insufficient to determine a winner and will be repeated, she said.

Voter turnout was 74.3% overall, Yermoshina said, adding that the commission received 110 complaints.

Representatives of five opposition groups and parties, meanwhile, denounced the vote as opaque and undemocratic, citing interference in the electoral process by the authorities. The Central Election Commission countered by saying the opposition had resolved long before the election to pursue a course aimed at discrediting the vote in order to pander to a Western audience, RIA Novosti reported.