Jump to content

2024 Belarusian parliamentary election

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

2024 Belarusian parliamentary election
Belarus
← 2019 25 February 2024

All 110 seats in the House of Representatives
56 seats needed for a majority
Turnout73.09%
Party Leader Seats +/–
Belaya Rus Oleg Romanov 51 New
RPTS Alexander Khizhnyak [be] 8 +2
CPB Aliaksiej Sokal 7 −4
LDPB Oleg Gaidukevich 4 +3
Independents 40 −49
This lists parties that won seats. See the complete results below.
Speaker of the House of Representatives before Speaker of the House of Representatives after
Vladimir Andreichenko
Independent
Igor Sergeenko
Independent
Parliamentary and local elections logo (Russian-language version)

Parliamentary elections were held in Belarus on 25 February 2024.[1][2][3] The country elected 110 deputies to the lower house of parliament (House of Representatives) and about 12,000 representatives of local councils.[4]

There were no opposition candidates in these parliamentary campaigns — all contenders come from four registered political parties, each of which is pro-government, or pro-government independents.[5] The Belarusian opposition called for boycotting the elections or voting against all.[6][7] The Belarusian authorities refused to invite observers from the OSCE.[8]

Background

[edit]

The elections were the first since the 2020–2021 Belarusian protests against the authoritarian regime of President Alexander Lukashenko, who has been in office since 1994. Lukashenko warned that the authorities had "learnt our lesson" since the protests and that there would be "no rebellions" during the election. A month before the election, the Belarusian KGB launched a series of raids targeting the families of political prisoners.[9] Observers and human rights organizations have noted that since the protests, the regime has thoroughly "cleansed" the political landscape, and that conditions for free elections are "currently practically absent in Belarus."[10]

On 29 January 2024, at the meeting of the Supreme State Council of the Union State of Russia and Belarus, Lukashenko expressed confidence that the voting will be held calmly. "The period is so difficult, but, as you can see, it passes calmly. And I'm sure we'll approach these dates calmly and hold these events just as calmly."[5] Days before the election, Lukashenko accused the West of trying to use "new triggers to destabilize the society" and claimed that Polish authorities were trying to convince senior Belarusian officials to switch their allegiance as part of a coup plot. Belarusian political analyst Valery Karbalevich noted that Lukashenko was treating the election like a "military operation", with authorities seeing any vote "as a threat and a pretext to step up repressions and tighten the screws."[11]

Electoral system and conduct

[edit]

The 110 members of the House of Representatives were elected from single-member constituencies by first-past-the-post voting.[12]

On 16 February 2023, the Law "On Amendments to the Electoral Code of the Republic of Belarus" was adopted. According to the law, the minimum voter turnout threshold was abolished and a ban on photographing the ballot paper was introduced. In addition, polling stations for voting abroad were abolished and additional requirements for parliamentary candidates were introduced (including a ban on dual citizenship).[13] The Interior Ministry conducted drills during which police detained offenders photographing ballots and creating artificial queues outside polling stations.[14]

Early voting was held from 20 to 24 February 2024 with turnout reaching over 40% according to authorities. The Viasna Human Rights Center said that students, soldiers, teachers and other government employees were forced to participate in early voting.[14] Authorities later said that total turnout reached 73%.[15]

Participating parties

[edit]

In February 2023, the Belarusian government changed the legislation on political parties. The minimum number of members was increased from one to five thousand, the obligation to have structures in all country regions and other tightening norms were introduced.[16] In Summer-Autumn 2023, the Belarusian authorities conducted a mass "re-registration" of political parties, as a result of which only 4 out of 15 parties remained registered. 11 other parties - mostly opposition parties - were legally liquidated at the request of the Ministry of Justice of Belarus.[17] The initiator of the party changes was President Lukashenko, who in April 2022 announced about "the upcoming big work in party building and bringing order in public associations" and demanded to rewrite the legislation.[18] And in December he said that "only those parties should work in the political field of the country, the activity of which corresponds to the basic principles of domestic and foreign policy".[19] The political parties that were allowed to run in the elections have supported Lukashenko's policies.[9]

Party Leader Ideology 2019 result
Votes (%) Seats
Communist Party of Belarus (CPB) Aliaksiej Sokal Communism
Marxism–Leninism
10.62%
11 / 110
Liberal Democratic Party of Belarus (LDPB) Oleg Gaidukevich Russian-Belarusian unionism
Right-wing populism
5.33%
1 / 110
Republican Party of Labour and Justice (RPTS) Alexander Khizhnyak [be] Democratic socialism
Social democracy
6.75%
6 / 110
Belaya Rus (PBR) Oleg Romanov Russophilia
Euroscepticism
Agrarianism
Did not exist

Candidates

[edit]
Party affiliation of candidates for the House of Representatives[20]
Party Ideology Candidates by electoral district
Brest Region Vitebsk Region Gomel Region Grodno Region Minsk Region Mogilev Region City of Minsk Total
34 33 43 35 35 26 59 265
Belarusian Party "Belaya Rus" Pro-Lukashenko 23 13 19 16 15 12 13 111
Communist Party of Belarus Communism 2 1 3 7 1 6 14 34
Liberal Democratic Party of Belarus Right-wing populism 1 7 10 3 1 3 11 36
Republican Party of Labour and Justice Democratic socialism 3 1 8 2 3 3 2 22
Independents 5 11 3 7 15 2 19 62

Observers

[edit]

Since 1995, no election in Belarus has been recognized as free and fair by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).[14] For the 2024 election, its observers were not allowed to participate in the election, marking the third consecutive time that the organization was prevented from doing so in Belarus. The Belarusian Foreign Ministry said that the "reasons for this are clear and simple," namely "the traditional dominance of representatives of Western countries in OSCE missions," the imposition of "unjustified and tough" sanctions by Western countries and the "deterioration of logistical opportunities" in the movement of its citizens to and from the country. The Central Election Commission of Belarus instead issued invitations to election commissions in other members of the Commonwealth of Independent States and delegates from the Association of World Election Bodies. It also accredited representatives from 23 European Union member states, including from Germany, Poland and Lithuania, whose identities and affiliations were not disclosed. The Parliamentary Assembly of the Collective Security Treaty Organization also sent a mission to observe the vote.[10]

Results

[edit]
PartyVotes%Seats+/–
Belaya Rus51New
Republican Party of Labour and Justice8+2
Communist Party of Belarus7–4
Liberal Democratic Party of Belarus4+3
Independents40–49
Against all
Total1100
Registered voters/turnout6,912,22173.09
Source: CEC of Belarus, Tochka.by

The CEC stated that the results of the election will be established by 1 March 2024.[21][needs update]

Elected deputies

[edit]

On 26 February 2024, the Central Election Commission of Belarus published a preliminary list of elected deputies of the House of Representatives of the eighth convocation.[22][23][24]

Region Constituency Deputy Party Notes
Brest Brestsky-West Valentina Pukh Belaya Rus
Brestsky-Centre Olga Stepus Independent
Brestsky-East Vladimir Borovenko Belaya Rus
Brestsky-Border Andrei Krupenkin Independent
Baranovichsky-West Alexei Raiko Belaya Rus
Baranovichsky-East Pavel Popko Belaya Rus
Baranovichsky Rural Georgy Khlebovich Belaya Rus
Belovezhsky Ekaterina Pozdyaykina Belaya Rus
Pruzhansky Yury Narkevich Belaya Rus
Dnepro-Bugsky Svetlana Bartosh RPTS
Ivatsevichsky Oleg Kuzmin Belaya Rus
Kobrinsky Polina Vasilyuk Belaya Rus
Luninetsky Edward Severin Independent
Pinsky City Alexander Omelyanyuk CPB
Pinsky Rural Vladimir Kolesnikovich Belaya Rus
Stolinsky Alexander Vechorko Belaya Rus
Vitebsk Vitebsky-Gorkovsky Victor Nikolaykin Independent
Vitebsky-Chkalovsky Irina Astapenko Belaya Rus
Vitebsky-Zheleznodorozhny Ruslan Shkodin Independent
Vitebsky-Oktyabrsky Yury Panfilov Independent
Gorodoksky Andrei Balysh LDPB
Dokshitsky Anatoly Sivko Independent
Lepelsky Victor Azarenok Independent
Novopolotsky Denis Karas RPTS
Orshansky City Alexander Mikhno Independent
Orshansky-Dneprovsky Gleb Gulenkov Independent
Polotsky City Svetlana Odintsova Independent
Polotsky Rural Alexander Stoma Belaya Rus
Postavsky Igor Sergeenko Independent
Tolochinsky Vladimir Babichev Independent
Gomel Gomelsky-Yubileiny Vitaly Utkin LDPB
Gomelsky-Zheleznodorozhny Alexander Konopatsky CPB
Gomelsky-Tsentralny Vladimir Gavrilovich Belaya Rus
Gomelsky-Sovetsky Irina Dovgalo Independent
Gomelsky-Promyshlenny Anzhelina Syromyatnikova Belaya Rus
Gomelsky-Novobelitsky Sergei Kazachok Belaya Rus
Gomelsky Rural Yulia Volkova RPTS
Buda-Koshelevsky Ruslan Vegera Belaya Rus
Zhitkovichsky Svetlana Senko Belaya Rus
Zhlobinsky Alexander Malobitsky Belaya Rus
Kalinkovichsky Nikolai Maratayev Independent
Mozyrsky Oksana Kovalkova Belaya Rus
Polessky Alla Naumenko Belaya Rus
Rechitsky Oleg Tsilko RPTS
Rogachevsky Nikolai Kudenchuk Independent
Svetlogorsky Elena Lapteva Belaya Rus
Hoyniksky Zhanna Chernyavskaya CPB
Grodno Volkovyssky Victor Pleskach Belaya Rus
Grodnensky-Zanemansky Mikhail Oksenyuk Independent
Grodnensky-Oktyabrsky Elena Potapova CPB
Grodnensky-Leninsky Andrei Anisimov Belaya Rus
Grodnensky-Severny Oleg Romanov Belaya Rus Belaya Rus leader
Grodnensky Border Anton Kulisevich Belaya Rus
Ivyevsky Vitaly Rakovets Belaya Rus
Lidsky Ekaterina Serafinovich Belaya Rus
Nemansky Mikhail Orda Independent FPB leader
Zamkovyy Alexander Songin RPTS
Slonimsky Valentin Semenyako Independent
Smorgonsky Igor Shaludin Belaya Rus
Shchuchinsky Nadezhna Khaltsova Belaya Rus
Minsk Berezinsky Yury Korsik Belaya Rus
Borisovsky City Alexander Shipulo Belaya Rus
Borisovsky Rural Ruslan Kosygin Belaya Rus
Zhodinsky Yury Maretsky Independent
Pukhovichsky Elena Parkhimchik RPTS
Kopylsky Andrei Lis Independent
Slutsky Natalia Ovsyannikova Independent
Soligorsky City Elena Khamitsevich RPTS
Soligorsky Rural Oksana Ilkovich Belaya Rus
Stolbtsovsky Elena Klishevich Belaya Rus
Dzerzhinsky Irina Kostevich Independent
Molodechnensky City Denis Ushatsky Independent
Molodechnensky Rural Ivan Markevich Belaya Rus
Vileysky Svetlana Sokolovskaya Independent
Logoysky Tatyana Lavrinovich Belaya Rus
Senitsky Anatoly Bulavko Independent
Zaslavsky Elena Khilya Belaya Rus
Mogilev Bobruisky-Leninsky Olga Zhuk Belaya Rus
Bobruisky-Pervomaisky Oksana Prikhodko LDPB
Bobruisky Rural Anton Karankevich Belaya Rus
Bykhovsky Alexandra Mikheyenko Belaya Rus
Goretsky Vladimir Pavlovsky RPTS
Krichevsky Sergei Davydov Independent
Mogilevsky-Leninsky Igor Marzalyuk Independent
Mogilevsky-Centralny Natalia Kuleshova Belaya Rus
Mogilevsky-Oktyabrsky Galina Belyayeva Belaya Rus
Mogilevsky-Promyshlenny Vladimir Podobed CPB
Mogilevsky Rural Natalia Tarasenko CPB
Osipovichsky Oleg Dyachenko Belaya Rus
Schklovsky Valery Malashko Belaya Rus
Minsk City Severny Dzmitry Shautsou Independent
Mashinostroitelny Gennady Lepeshko Independent
Vasnetsovsky Sergei Rachkov Independent
Kupalovsky Igor Pashkov Independent
Svislochsky Alexander Shpakovsky Belaya Rus
Oktyabrsky Sergei Klishevich CPB
Chkalovsky Vyacheslav Danilovich Belaya Rus
Dzerzhinsky Nastassia Mironchyk-Ivanova Independent
Yeseninsky Ruslan Chernetsky Belaya Rus
Yugo-Zapadny Alexander Barsukov Independent
Zapadny Marina Lenchevskaya Independent
Kamenogorsky Mikhail Mironchik Independent
Kalvariysky Vasily Panasyuk Belaya Rus
Lynkovsky Anzhelika Kurchak Independent
Starovilensky Vadim Ipatov Independent
Kolasovsky Nikolai Buzin Independent
Vostochny Natalia Dergach Belaya Rus
Pervomaisky Oleg Gaidukevich LDPB LDPB leader
Uruchsky Ivan Gordeychik Independent
Partizansky Vadim Gigin Belaya Rus

Reactions

[edit]

On election day Lukashenko announced that he would run again for president in the 2025 elections.[14]

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Lukashenko's exiled opponent in the 2020 Belarusian presidential election, called for a boycott of the election, saying that "there are no people on the ballot who would offer real changes because the regime only has allowed puppets convenient for it to take part". She also called on the international community not to recognize the results of the election.[9] Tsikhanouskaya's video message was broadcast on 2,000 screens used for street advertising across Belarus after opposition activists managed to gain access to them, leading to the arrests of some employees of the firm which owned the screens.[15] Members of the Belarusian opposition have popularly referred to the elections as biazvybary (Belarusian: Бязвыбары, lit.'without-elections'), in reference to the tight government control over elections.[25][26][27]

Russian president Vladimir Putin congratulated Lukashenko on "the confident victory of patriotic forces of Belarus", which he said helped to "ensure internal political stability."[15]

The United States Department of State condemned the elections, describing them as being "held in a climate of fear under which no electoral processes could be called democratic."[28]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Single Voting Day in Belarus to take place on February 25, 2024". Белтелерадиокомпания. 7 July 2022. Retrieved 2023-10-19.
  2. ^ "Lukashenko meets with CEC head to discuss 2024 election campaign". eng.belta.by. 2023-06-19. Retrieved 2023-08-18.
  3. ^ "Belarus' CEC head: Work to prepare for 2024 election campaign on schedule". eng.belta.by. 2023-06-19. Retrieved 2023-08-18.
  4. ^ "Выборы-2024 в Беларуси: все, что о них нужно знать – DW – 21.02.2024". dw.com (in Russian). Retrieved 2024-02-24.
  5. ^ a b "Что ждать от парламентских выборов в Белоруссии". РБК (in Russian). 2024-02-24. Retrieved 2024-02-24.
  6. ^ "Демсилы предложили две стратегии на будущих выборах — бойкот или голосовать, но против всех. Спросили у экспертов, какая из них лучше". Зеркало (in Russian). 2023-12-13. Retrieved 2024-02-24.
  7. ^ ""Игнорировать и не участвовать". Что советуют политики белорусам в единый день голосования". Зеркало (in Russian). 2023-11-24. Retrieved 2024-02-24.
  8. ^ "В ОБСЕ заявили, что решение не приглашать ее наблюдателей на выборы противоречит международным обязательствам Беларуси". Зеркало (in Russian). 2024-01-08. Retrieved 2024-02-24.
  9. ^ a b c "As Belarusians vote in 'sham' polls, Lukashenko reveals re-election plan". Al Jazeera. 25 February 2024.
  10. ^ a b "Belarus: 2024 elections will not be 'free and fair'". DW. 25 February 2024.
  11. ^ "As Belarus votes in tightly controlled elections, its leader accuses the West of fueling unrest". Associated Press. 21 February 2024.
  12. ^ "Belarus". www.idea.int. Retrieved 2022-12-29.
  13. ^ "Что изменится в Избирательном кодексе Республики Беларусь? На Pravo.by опубликован Закон № 252-З". www.pravo.by. Retrieved 2024-02-24.
  14. ^ a b c d "Belarusians vote in tightly controlled election amid opposition calls for its boycott". Associated Press. 25 February 2024. Retrieved 2024-02-25.
  15. ^ a b c "Belarus' election reinforces authoritarian leader's rule despite the opposition call for its boycott". Associated Press. 26 February 2024. Retrieved 2024-02-26.
  16. ^ "Лукашенко подписал законы о гражданском обществе и политических партиях". Зеркало (in Russian). 2023-02-14. Retrieved 2024-02-24.
  17. ^ "Запретить любое мнение: власти РБ строят партийную систему?". dw.com (in Russian). Retrieved 2024-02-24.
  18. ^ "Лукашенко поручил Минюсту дать людям "четкий сигнал", что такое гражданское общество". Зеркало (in Russian). 2022-04-21. Retrieved 2024-02-24.
  19. ^ "Лукашенко озвучил, какие политические партии смогут работать в Беларуси". Зеркало (in Russian). 2022-12-13. Retrieved 2024-02-24.
  20. ^ "Сведения о партийности кандидатов в депутаты Палаты представителей" (PDF). Retrieved 24 February 2024.
  21. ^ "ЦИК Беларуси". 2024-02-24. Retrieved 2024-02-26 – via Telegram. Итоги выборов депутатов будут установлены к 1 марта 2024 года. [The results of the elections of deputies will be established by March 1, 2024.]
  22. ^ "ЦИК обнародовал фамилии депутатов Палаты представителей восьмого созыва". www.shliah.by. Retrieved 2024-02-26.
  23. ^ "ЦИК обнародовал фамилии депутатов Палаты представителей восьмого созыва". BelTA. 26 February 2024.
  24. ^ "ЦИК обнародовал фамилии депутатов Палаты представителей восьмого созыва". zviazda.by (in Russian). 2024-02-26. Retrieved 2024-02-26.
  25. ^ "Анатоль Лябедзька: Безальтэрнатыўныя выбары – гэта бязвыбары" [Anatol Liabiedzka: These are elections without an alternative – biazvybary]. Radyjo Racyja (in Belarusian). 6 February 2024. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  26. ^ "Ціханоўская назвала выбары 2024 году «бязвыбарамі» і заклікала беларусаў «ня даць сябе падмануць»" [Tsikhanouskaya names 2024 elections "biazvybary" and tells Belarusians "don't be fooled"]. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (in Belarusian). 24 November 2023. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  27. ^ "Генадзь Коршунаў: «Бязвыбары» 2024 года — гэта не больш чым трэніроўка перад 2025 годам" [Hienadz Koršunaŭ: 2024 "biazvybary" no more than a training exercise before 2025]. Novy Chas (in Belarusian). 6 December 2023. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  28. ^ "ЗША асудзілі "фіктыўныя выбары рэжыму Лукашэнкі"" [USA condemns "sham elections of Lukashenka's regime"]. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (in Belarusian). 25 February 2024. Retrieved 25 February 2024.