Early voting for parliamentary elections begins in Belarus

Early voting for the House of Representatives elections starts today in Belarus, according to BelTA.

You can cast your vote in advance from September 6 to 10, between 10:00 and 14:00, and from 16:00 to 19:00. Voters who cannot be at their place of residence on the main election day can do so. No official confirmation of the reasons for being unable to attend the polling station is required.

Early voting is conducted only at the premises of the precinct commission in the presence of at least two of its members. It is not conducted at the voter's place of residence, nor at polling stations established in sanatoria, health resorts, rest homes, hospitals, and other healthcare organizations providing inpatient medical care, for citizens serving sentences of arrest, or those in therapeutic and labor prophylactic facilities.

Upon receiving a ballot at the polling station, the voter signs and indicates the date of early voting. Voting on behalf of other citizens with a power of attorney is not permitted, as by law, each person must cast their vote personally.

A ballot is issued upon presentation of a citizen's passport of the Republic of Belarus or other documents. These include a state employee's service ID, a student ID, a driver's license, a military ID (for conscripts), a pension certificate (if it contains a photograph), a certificate from internal affairs bodies (for citizens who have lost their passport), as well as a disability certificate.

Belarusian citizens who are abroad can also vote early (local time).

The ballot is filled out by the voter in a booth or a secret voting room. You must place any mark in the empty square to the right of the name of the candidate for whom you are voting. When voting against all candidates, place any mark in the empty square to the right of the line "Against all candidates."

If only one candidate for a parliamentary seat is listed on the ballot, the voter places any mark in the square under the word "for" or in the square under the word "against."

A citizen who is unable to fill out the ballot paper independently has the right to invite another person of their choice into the voting booth or secret ballot room, with the exception of members of the precinct and higher commissions, candidates for deputy, their proxies, observers, and media representatives. Visually impaired voters may use magnifying glasses (loupes) available at the precinct commission. A blind voter wishing to vote independently will be issued a ballot paper and a special stencil.

If an error is made when filling out the ballot paper, you should contact a member of the precinct commission to request a new one in exchange for the spoiled one.

The majority electoral system of relative majority is used to determine election results in Belarus. Elections are considered valid if more than half of the voters in the constituency included in the lists participated in the voting.

A candidate for deputy of the House of Representatives who receives the largest number of votes is considered elected. If only one candidate's name is on the ballot paper, they are considered elected if they receive more than half of the electorate's votes.

6,990,696 citizens of the country will be able to vote in the current elections. Elections to the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of Belarus will be held on September 11.

News of Belarus (BELTA)