Dmitry Khoma told how the presidential elections went in the Vitebsk region
On February 3, the CEC of Belarus will hold a meeting to establish the results of the presidential elections of the Republic of Belarus based on the protocols of the territorial commissions. How the election campaign went in the Vitebsk region was learned by the correspondent of "VV".
– It was conducted in full compliance with the electoral legislation of Belarus, – stated at a briefing with media representatives the chairman of the regional election commission Dmitry Khoma. – We can state that behind the results of the recent elections lies a huge amount of work by everyone: both local authorities and members of territorial and precinct election commissions. During the early voting and on the main day, a festive calm atmosphere prevailed. This applied not only to the voters but also to the commission members, who were not distracted by any provocations. Comfortable and safe conditions were ensured, for which special thanks go to the law enforcement block, medical workers, and emergency services staff.
No gross violations of public order or crimes were recorded at the polling stations, but there were some cases of photographing ballots. In the region, 4055 national observers and more than 30 international observers from various missions were working. No remarks were received from them.
As for the voting results, today, on Tuesday, after receiving the protocols from all territorial commissions and processing them, a final meeting of the regional election commission is planned.
The forecast that voter turnout would be lower in cities than in rural areas has been confirmed. Thus, in Vitebsk, less than 84% of those listed voted (across the districts of the regional center, this is: 85.69% in the Zheleznodorozhny district, 80.81% in the Pervomaisky district, and 83.61% in the Oktyabrsky district). Meanwhile, rural areas showed greater activity: for example, Dokshitsy and Rossony – over 94%, Beshankovichy and Sharkovshchina – over 93%.
The work of the commissions in rural areas, noted the chairman of the regional election commission, was facilitated by the fact that additional ballot boxes were allocated for voting at the place of residence, given that there are many sparsely populated villages in the Vitebsk region where elderly citizens live. In some districts, the number of home voters reached 200 or more, while in the precincts of the regional center it varied from 20 to 40 people. By the way, the process of updating ballot boxes is underway, and by the next elections, Dmitry Khoma believes, it will be completed. The weather was also favorable – the meteorological conditions did not create additional obstacles for commission members visiting voters at home.
The preliminary results of the presidential elections by candidates in the Vitebsk region are as follows: for Oleg Gaidukevich 1.49% of voters cast their votes, for Anna Kanopatskaya – 1.47%, for Alexander Lukashenko – 87.61%, for Sergey Syryankov – 3.72%, and for Alexander Khizhnyak – 1.72%. Against all, 3.42% voted.