Page 58 - Conducting Elections during COVID-19

40 INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCES OF CONDUCTING ELECTIONS DURING COVID-19

Belarus

Belarus Presidential Election 2020

According to the electoral legislation of the Republic of Belarus, Presidential Elections were to be
held no later than August 30, 2020. The presidential election in Belarus is held on the basis of direct
suffrage by secret ballot. To win the election, a candidate must poll over 50% of the valid vote, and
turnout must be at least 50%. There are 6,844,932 eligible voters in Belarus.The postponement of
the election campaign date would only be possible if a state of emergency or martial law is declared
in the country on the basis of Article 71 of the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus. Since there are
no prerequisites for either of the exceptions, presidential elections in 2020 were scheduled by the
Parliament for August 9.

Presidential elections were conducted in Belarus on Sunday, 9 August 2020 amid challenges namely
the COVD-19 pandemic and political factors. Early voting began on 4 August and went on until 8
August with all safety measures in place.
The president was elected directly to serve for five years. All the defeated candidates have filed
appeals to the Central Election Commission of Belarus (CEC) against the poll verdict. This article limits
itself to the COVID-19 safety measures for conduct of elections.

Early voting for presidential election

Early voting for the Belarus presidential elections were held on 4-8 August. Early voting was meant for
voters who would not be able to cast their ballot on Election Day.

Polling places were open from 8.00 AM in the morning to 8 p.m in the evening. In order to receive a
ballot paper, voters had to present their photo-identification. This could be either passport or a military
ID (for army conscripts), an official ID (for civil servants and employees of state-run organizations), or a
driving license, a pensioner ID, an ID of a disabled person (provided this ID has a photo) and a student
ID. If a voter had lost his/her passport or this passport had been stolen, they were required to present
a certificate from the police as a confirmation of his/her identity.

Polling Stations in Belarus

Early voting was held at 231 polling stations which were set up at sanatoriums and health resorts,
hospitals and other inpatient healthcare facilities. 13 polling stations had been set up in military units.
In all, 5,767 polling places were set up for the 2020 presidential election, including 44 abroad to support
OCV.

A ballot was issued upon producing a military service card for active-duty military personnel, a
civil servant identification card, a pensioner identification card with a photo, a university student
identification card, a temporary certificate issued by police to citizens who have lost their passports,
a driver’s license.

A total of 248 international observers and nearly 50,000 domestic observers were monitoring the
election campaign.

COVID-19 Challenge and Safety Measures

Regulation on the Procedure of Accreditation and Activities of Foreign (International) Observers in
the Period of Preparing to and Holding of the Elections of the President of the Republic of Belarus
in 2020
‘9 While monitoring at the commissions’ meetings and polling stations, a foreign (international)
observer takes measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus infection: uses personal protective
equipment, hands disinfectants, maintains a distance of 1 – 1.5 meters from other people, etc. At
polling stations established in hospitals and other healthcare organizations that provide medical care
in stationary conditions, a foreign (international) observer complies with the rules established in those
organizations.’