2019 Belarusian parliamentary election

Parliamentary elections were required to be held no later than 6 September 2020. However, in his annual address to the nation on 19 April 2019, President Alexander Lukashenko announced that they would be held in 2019. Lukashenko suggested Sunday 7 November or October Revolution Day as possible dates,[https://meduza.io/news/2019/04/19/aleksandr-lukashenko-naznachil-dosrochnye-vybory-v-parlament-belorussii Александр Лукашенко назначил досрочные выборы в парламент Белоруссии] Meduza, 19 April 2019 however the election was ultimately scheduled for 17 November 2019.

The 110 members of the House of Representatives were elected from single-member constituencies by first-past-the-post voting.[https://www.idea.int/data-tools/country-view/72/44 Belarus] IDEA

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File:Street agitation before 2019 parliamentary elections 2.jpg|Street agitation near the shopping mall for one of the candidates in the 92nd "Aŭtazavod" constituency (Minsk)

File:2019 parliamentary election candidates in Belarus — information board.jpg|Information board with 4 candidates competing in the 91st "Šabany" constituency (Minsk)

File:Parliamentary election in Belarus 2019 street banner in Minsk.jpg|Street banner

File:«Рэйв-мітынг» Моладзевага Блоку.jpg|Meeting of opposition candidates from the Youth Bloc on Zybitskaya street (Minsk)

File:Invitation to parliamentary election in Belarus, 2019.jpg|Voter invitation card

Most opposition parties decided to contest the election but not all candidates were registered.{{Cite web|url=https://www.svaboda.org/a/30240479.html|title=З выбараў сабраліся зьняць трох кандыдатаў "Эўрапейскай Беларусі"|website=Радыё Свабода|language=be|access-date=2019-11-10}}{{Cite web|url=https://belarusdigest.com/story/belaruss-2019-parliamentary-election-consequential-or-not/|title=Belarus's 2019 parliamentary election: consequential or not? {{!}} BelarusDigest|access-date=2019-11-10}} The Conservative Christian Party and the Belarusian Social-Democratic Assembly decided to boycott the elections.

On 13 November, during preliminary voting, an observer in Brest published a video showing alleged ballot stuffing. Lidia Yermoshina, chief of the Central Election Commission of Belarus, denied fraud had taken place and stated that the observer's accreditation should be withdrawn as they were not allowed to film in a room with ballot boxes.[https://news.tut.by/economics/661229.html Ермошина о «вбросе» бюллетеней в Бресте: Наблюдателя надо лишить аккредитации] On 15 November, the observer's accreditation was withdrawn by the local electoral commission.{{Cite web |url=https://news.tut.by/economics/661386.html |title=В Бресте лишили аккредитации наблюдателя, который обвинил девушку в попытке вброса бюллетеней |access-date=2019-11-15 |archive-date=2019-11-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191115144746/https://news.tut.by/economics/661386.html |url-status=dead }} Another objection by the same observer concerning the number of preliminary votes was accepted.[https://nn.by/?c=ar&i=241081 «У мяне таксама абвастрылася хвароба». Назіральніка, які зняў на відэа спробу ўкіду бюлетэняў, наведалі назіральнікі АБСЕ]

Students from some universities claimed that they had been forced to participate in preliminary voting, or encouraged to do so by being allowed absences from classes on Saturday and Monday. The universities denied the claims.{{Cite web |url=https://news.tut.by/economics/660891.html |title=Студенты утверждают, что за досрочное голосование их освободят от занятий. В университетах это отрицают |access-date=2019-11-15 |archive-date=2019-11-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191115150216/https://news.tut.by/economics/660891.html |url-status=dead }} On 15 November Belarusian State Economic University students openly protested near the campus for similar reasons, citing the recently published video with one of their instructors (curators) demanding people participate in the preliminary voting.[https://www.currenttime.tv/a/belarus-elections-dosrochno-video/30273625.html Белорусские студенты протестуют: их принуждают досрочно голосовать на выборах в парламент]

Election observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe said that “fundamental freedoms were disregarded and the integrity of the election process was not adequately safeguarded". A statement from the OSCE team cited concerns including what they described as the exclusion of many opposition candidates, limited opportunity for public campaigning and shortcomings during vote counting. OSCE observer Margaret Cederfeldt said the election had demonstrated "an overall lack of respect for democratic commitments".{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/belarus-election-results-an-opposition-free-parliament/2019/11/18/072da128-09df-11ea-8054-289aef6e38a3_story.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191119032951/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/belarus-election-results-an-opposition-free-parliament/2019/11/18/072da128-09df-11ea-8054-289aef6e38a3_story.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=2019-11-19|title=Belarus election results: An opposition-free parliament|author=Yuras Karmanau|newspaper=Washington Post|language=en|access-date=2019-11-27}}

Election observers from the Commonwealth of Independent States described the elections as "competitive, open, free [and] transparent", adding that they considered them to be held in line with the country's Constitution and Electoral Code.{{Cite web|url=https://eng.belta.by/politics/view/elections-in-belarus-hailed-as-competitive-open-125960-2019|title=Elections in Belarus hailed as competitive, open|date=2019-11-18|website=eng.belta.by|language=en-EN|access-date=2019-11-18}}

Only 21 of the 110 elected deputies were members of political parties, with all belonging to pro-government parties; the Communist Party of Belarus emerged as the largest party in the House of Representatives with 11 MPs, the Republican Party of Labour and Justice came second with six seats, the Belarusian Patriotic Party won two and the Agrarian Party and Liberal Democratic Party won a seat each.{{Cite web|url=http://rec.gov.by/sites/default/files/pdf/2019/sved_dep.pdf|title=СВЕДЕНИЯ об избранных депутатах|date=18 November 2019|website=CEC Belarus|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200125083139/http://www.rec.gov.by/sites/default/files/pdf/2019/sved_dep.pdf|archive-date=25 January 2020|access-date=}}

Unlike in the previous elections in 2016, in which two opposition candidates were elected, the opposition did not win a single seat; the opposition United Civic Party lost its sole seat and the only pro-opposition independent MP failed to be re-elected. All 110 elected representatives were described as "loyal" to President Alexander Lukashenko.{{Cite web|url=https://www.dw.com/en/belarus-election-no-seats-for-opposition-as-lukashenko-maintains-power/a-51290419|title=Belarus election: No seats for opposition as Lukashenko maintains power {{!}} DW {{!}} 18.11.2019|website=DW.COM|language=en-GB|access-date=2019-11-18}} For all but one term since 2004, there have been no opposition MPs in the House of Representatives. However, since a 1996 referendum effectively concentrated all governing power in Lukashenko's hands, the House has been dominated by Lukashenko supporters even when opposition MPs have managed to get into the chamber, and the House has done little more than approve Lukashenko's policies.

44 of the 110 elected MPs were women, two were under the age of 30 and thirty were members of the previous parliament.

{{Election results

|image=File:Belarus House of Representatives 2019.svg

|party1=Communist Party of Belarus|votes1=559537|seats1=11|sc1=+3

|party2=Republican Party of Labour and Justice|votes2=355971|seats2=6|sc2=+3

|party3=Liberal Democratic Party|votes3=280683|seats3=1|sc3=0

|party4=Belarusian Social Democratic Party (Assembly)|votes4=84790|seats4=0|sc4=0

|party5=BPF Party|votes5=82403|seats5=0|sc5=0

|party6=Belarusian Patriotic Party|votes6=75283|seats6=2|sc6=–1

|party7=United Civic Party|votes7=72192|seats7=0|sc7=–1

|party8=Belarusian Agrarian Party|votes8=46785|seats8=1|sc8=+1

|party9=Belarusian Left Party "A Just World"|votes9=37861|seats9=0|sc9=0

|party10=Belarusian Social Democratic Assembly|votes10=23164|seats10=0|sc10=New

|party11=Belarusian Green Party|votes11=10592|seats11=0|sc11=0

|party12=Belarusian Social Sporting Party|votes12=7905|seats12=0|sc12=New

|party13=Republican Party|votes13=7529|seats13=0|sc13=New

|party14=Independents|votes14=3178037|seats14=89|sc14=–5

|row15=Against all|votes15=447111

|invalid=49725

|total_sc=0

|electorate=6880605

|source=[https://rec.gov.by/ru/election-schedule-ru/view/pp7-sozyva-ru CEC] (party affiliations), [https://rec.gov.by/ru/election-schedule-ru/view/pp7-sozyva-ru CEC] (votes)

}}

In its report following the elections, the OSCE stated that the legal framework in Belarus "does not adequately guarantee the conduct of elections in line with OSCE commitments and other international standards and obligations". As to the voting, the OSCE stated that " the lack of safeguards in election day and early voting procedures negatively impacted the integrity of the process." It also highlighted that "over 1,000 complaints and applications were filed with the election commissions, local authorities and courts, mostly related to appointment of commission members and candidate registration and deregistration".[https://www.osce.org/odihr/elections/belarus/439355 Belarus, Early Parliamentary Elections, 17 November 2019: Statement of Preliminary Findings and Conclusions] - Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, 18 November 2019]

The US State Department made a statement, referring to the decision by the OSCE: "The Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Parliamentary Assembly, and the Council of Europe's conclusions and observations about these elections are deeply troubling. We regret that alternative voices will not be represented in parliament."[https://www.state.gov/belarus-parliamentary-elections/ Belarus Parliamentary Elections - Press Statement], Michael R. Pompeo, Secretary of State, November 20, 2019]

The European Union noted that the election "took place in an overall calm atmosphere" but stated that "there was an overall disregard for fundamental freedoms of assembly, association and expression".[https://eeas.europa.eu/delegations/belarus/70603/statement-spokesperson-parliamentary-elections-belarus_en Statement by the Spokesperson on the parliamentary elections in Belarus], 18 November 2019

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Category:Parliamentary elections in Belarus