BAJ Leaders to Monitor the Electoral Campaign within the Supervisory Commission?
Today at a meeting of the Central Electoral Commission its member with deliberative functions Ihar Lialkou suggested that BAJ members should also be included into the Supervisory Committee, reported BelaAN.
Ihar Lialkou reasoned that the Supervisory Commission considers materials of both state and non-state mass media.
Mr Lialkou suggested that BAJ chairperson Zhanna Litvina, her deputy Andrey Bastunets and the Nasha Niva editor Dzmitry Pankavets should also be included into the Supervisory Commission.
The chairperson of the Central Electoral Commission answered that this suggestion could be discussed at the next meeting “with the members of already formed council”.
The secretary of the CEC Mikalay Lazavik said that the date of the next meeting was unknown, as the Supervisory Commission gathers irregularly, only when necessity appears. The proposed “candidates to the council” don’t need to do anything, either – everything will depend on the results of the future discussion.
“Everything is good in due time” commented Zhanna Litvina. “If the CEC wanted their activities to look the most possible democratic, the question about members in the Supervisory Commission would have been discussed before its approval. It is hard to say whether it is sensible to enlarge the Commission two weeks before the elections. But if such suggestion is voiced, we will think it over…”
Now the Supervisory Commission includes:
- the first Information Minister’s deputy Liliya Ananich
- secretary of the PA “Belarusian Union of Journalists” Tatsiana Bialova
- head of the Directory of production of radio programs of the National State TV and Radio Company (NSTRC) Anton Vasiukevich
- the first chief editor’s deputy Mikhail Liabedzik
- chair’s deputy of the NSTRC Marat Markau
- chief editor of the newspaper “Belorusskaya Niva” Siarhey Mikhovich
- the responsible secretary of the PA “Belarusian Union of Journalists” Siarhey Sverkunou.
Such composition of the Supervisory Commission was approved by the CEC Ruling dated July 5, 2012: members were “from a number of specialists in the sphere of editorial and publishing activities and the media, recommended by republican state bodies, public associations, and mass media.”
PA “BAJ” learnt about the creation of the Supervisory Commission only after its composition was approved.
At the previous parliamentary elections in 2008 BAJ requested from Mikalay Lazavik if the organization could recommend someone to the council. The CEC secretary refused, saying that “the list was already drawn up, now it needs only approval”. As a result, the Supervisory Commission was also composed only of representatives of state media and the Ministry of Information.