Data on Voter Turnout in Belarus Early Elections Might Be Inflated - Opposition Observers

MINSK (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 06th August, 2020) The official data on the voter turnout on the first day of early voting in Belarus' presidential election might be overstated by the authorities, the Honest People initiative, which is observing the vote, said on Thursday.

Early voting began in Belarus on Tuesday. According to the country's Central Election Commission, the turnout during the first day of the vote was 4.98 percent, while the next day the turnout was reported to be at 12.75 percent. Commenting on the figures, President Alexander Lukashenko said that the turnout figures show that Belarusian citizens realized that they could "lose the country" and it motivated them to cast ballots.

"Honest People analyzed data on 605 out of 5,767 polling places across the country. According to the protocols of the commissions as of August 4, the turnout at these polling places was 34,471 people. According to the observers who counted the people entering the sites, there were 22,149 people. In other words, the official records include half as many people as the observers counted," the organization said in a statement.

The presidential election in Belarus is scheduled for August 9. Five people are registered as candidates, including the current head of state. The campaigning started on July 14 and will last until August 8.