Parliamentary elections in Belarus 2008

Short video about how collage posted in previous post was made.

Minsk, Belarus. Two days after election - love is all around us.

Cheap sweets, cakes, cookies, champagne and sometimes vodka - everything specially prepared at election comittees for people who come to vote.

Gomel, Belarus

Cooment from the street: “If the times were different I would take all Lenins and put them in one museum, out of the streets.“

The most warm and nice welcome we recived in small committee in the outskirts of Gomel in the psychatric hospital. We had to wait for the chief around 20 minutes because all the patients voted before we came /200 voters, 100% voted/. When he arrived he invited us for a cup of tea, very good cake and small snacks.

Ironically the most normal commission members I had chance to meet were in the pychiatric hospital.

/Secretary of the chief has recently celebrated 50 years of marriage. Congratulations!

Flowers and greetings cards in the background of the photo/

You can hear it from over 200 metres. It’s loud and positive. No matter what music was played the lyrics on this day were always the same: “Come and vote” !

Gomel, Belarus. District 34, Election Comittee 14.

The last place I went to see on Saturday evening. Prelimary election were going on from Tuesday till Staurday. The observer has not been registered till the last day because of lacking stamp on some document. Although in different commission his colleague had no problems and no stamp.

This was also the only commission which refused to tell how many people voted in the preliminary time.

Gomel, Belarus. District 34, Election Comitte 13.

Observer cannot come closer to the commission desk or the voting ballot. True observation This was the biggest distance I have noticed in visitted places - and members of the comittee were very nervous.

Gomel, Minsk. Saturday evening.

Election will start next day morning, so it’s the last moment to make preparations for a big celebration. All people who will come to comittee will be able to buy very cheap food, sweets, champagne, vodka…

In gomel there are 6 District Election Comitties which collect results from local ones. On Saturday I was told that during preliminary elections from Tuesday till Friday 15% of allowed 65,500 has voted. On Sunday number of preliminary voters was 25%, so if my math is correct on Saturday 10% people visitted the preliminary polls.

Quotes from interview with comittee chief:

Indigo: Have the observers already been into your district?

Chief: Yes. And we hope they will come tomorrow! /On Sunday, day of election/

I: Do you think that election are democratic?

C: Absolutely!