December 23, Pozirk. District election commissions in Minsk have registered 45 initiative groups to collect signatures for the nomination of candidates for the House of Representatives, the central election commission said.
In the capital city, contenders for the lower house include 24 non-partisan politicians, 13 members of the Biełaja Ruś party that was registered this year, five members of the Communist Party of Belarus, two members of the Republican Party of Labor and Justice, and one member of the Liberal Democratic Party. All these alliances support the government.
Among famous names are Siarhiej Račkoŭ, who heads the upper house’s committee on international affairs and national security, and MP Aleh Hajdukievič, who heads the LDP. Communist MP Siarhiej Kliševič, Biełaja Ruś MP Vasil Panasiuk, and independents Maryna Lančeŭskaja and Ivan Hardziejčyk are also planning to run.
Others are Hienadź Lapieška, head of the Military Academy; Ihar Paškoŭ, chief of staff of the Ministry of Internal Affairs; Anžalika Kurčak, spokeswoman for the Prosecutor General’s Office; and Alaksandar Barsukoŭ, an aide to Alaksandar Łukašenka.
The contenders also include propagandists and TV personalities such as Viačasłaŭ Daniłovič, rector of the Academy of Public Administration, National Library CEO Vadzim Hihin, and Alaksandar Špakoŭski from the Belarusian embassy in Russia.
Another notable is Dźmitryj Šaŭcoŭ, secretary general of the Belarusian Red Cross (BRC). The international Red Cross suspended the BRC as a member over his alleged role in the displacement of Ukrainian children from Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory.
In 2024, elections for the House of Representatives and local councils will be held together for the first time in Belarus. The single day of voting is scheduled for February 25. The first session of the All-Belarusian People’s Assembly in the new status will be held within 60 days after the elections.
Human rights activists say the government is set to control all stages of the elections.
The country has not held a single free and fair election by the standards of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe since 1996.
