May 12, Pozirk. Voting began at noon on May 12 in an election for the opposition Coordination Council, after long delays triggered by a security alert and a cyberattack on the online voting platform.
The poll opened hours later than initially planned, with the publication of a step-by-step guide for voters. Ballots can be cast either through a mobile app or a special website. Residents of Belarus are urged to take precautionary measures, including the use of VPN and incognito mode and the deletion of cache and browsing history.
The start of the voting process was moved from 12 am on May 11 to 10 pm on the same day after doubts were raised by Nasha Niva journalists about the credentials of Sumsub, a company responsible for online voter verification. A last-minute probe reportedly revealed no security vulnerabilities, but the kickoff was postponed again amid a massive DDoS attack involving billions of malicious requests.
In a message to voters published on May 12, the opposition United Transitional Cabinet played up the role of the Coordination Council election for democratic change. “Change does not happen by itself, it requires systemic preparation and strong institutions, and the election is one of the key milestones in this journey,” the message said.
As many as 174 candidates representing nine political groups are running for the 80-member Coordination Council, originally scheduled for May 11-17. Belarusian authorities branded all groups as “extremist” in an attempt to disrupt the voting.
The Coordination Council is a non-governmental body established in 2020 to facilitate a democratic transfer of power in Belarus. The Council originally had 64 core members with a seven-member leadership board. Amid the post-election crackdown in Belarus, many of the Council’s members were arrested or forced into exile.
In 2022 and 2023, the Coordination Council was re-established abroad as a body consisting of representatives of various pro-democracy groups in exile.
In May 2024, the Council held its first direct online election, with more than 6,700 citizens of Belarus reportedly taking part in it.
With 28 seats, Pavieł Łatuška and the Movement for Freedom is currently the Council’s largest political group. Łatuška is deputy head of the opposition transition cabinet led by Sviatłana Cichanoŭskaja.
