Volozhin Region
Executive Committee

The Central Election Commission has updated preliminary voting results in Belarus' presidential election, BelTA has learned.

The incumbent president Aleksandr Lukashenko got 80.08% of the vote (he was the candidate of choice for 4,659,561 voters). Svetlana Tikhanovskaya received 10.09%% of the vote (587,411). Anna Kanopatskaya got 1.68% (97,552). Andrei Dmitriyev was supported by 1.21% of voters (70,613). Sergei Cherechen got 1.15% of the vote (66,695).

The number voters who cast their ballots was 5,818,965. The turnout was 84.27% for the country as a whole. The turnout in Brest Oblast was 92.14%, in Vitebsk Oblast 82.69%, in Gomel Oblast 89.7%, in Grodno Oblast 88.62%, in Minsk Oblast 84.79%, in Mogilev Oblast 90.79%, in Minsk 67.26%.

CEC chair Lidia Yermoshina informed at a briefing earlier on 10 August that as the CEC will be getting ready for its session, the figures will be updated.

Belarus has harvested nearly 1.5 million hectares of grain and leguminous crops (except for maize, buckwheat and millet), which makes up 67.9% of the plan, BelTA learned from the Agriculture and Food Ministry.

Brest Oblast has taken the lead fulfilling 87.2% of the harvesting plan (294,400 hectares). Gomel Oblast harvested 81.6% of the area (277,500 hectares), Grodno Oblast cropped 75.6% (240,900 hectares), Minsk Oblast harvested 70.4% (341,500 hectares), Mogilev Oblast gathered 52.5% (176,700 hectares), Vitebsk Oblast harvested 42.4% (160,100 hectares).

All in all, as of 10 August, 5.6 million tonnes of grain was threshed across the country with the average yield at 38.1 centners per hectare (in 2019, the yield as of the same date was 32.1 centners per hectare). The 1 million-tonne target was hit by Brest Oblast, Minsk Oblast and Grodno Oblast.

Flax was harvested on the area of 37,000 hectares (76% of the area under this crop).

The second grass cutting was done on the area of 731,000 hectares (89.3% of the plan). Some 709,600 tonnes of hay (70.3% of the plan), 12.437 million tonnes of haylage (98.7%) and 526,400 tonnes of silage (2.75%) were stocked.

In total, there are plans to procure 9.3 million tonnes of fodder units of grass feed, most of them in Minsk Oblast and Brest Oblast. By this time, 42.5% of the plan has been fulfilled. There are plans to procure almost 19.2 million tonnes of silage, 12.6 million tonnes of haylage (including 1.1 million tonnes in polymer packaging), and 1.01 million tonnes of hay.

Observers sent by public associations and political parties of Belarus to monitor the presidential election in the country stated that the election was held in strict adherence of the legislation, BelTA has learned.

“9 August was the last day of the presidential election campaign in Belarus. Representatives of our public associations and political parties monitored every polling station throughout the whole voting time. Over 30,000 of our people, and this is the absolute majority of all observers accredited at the election, state that the presidential election was held in line with the legislation of the Republic of Belarus. Our observers monitored all the processes: from opening polling stations to sealing ballot boxes,” the statement of the parties and public associations says.

It was stressed that no major violations which could influence the result of the election were registered. Every citizen had an opportunity to cast their ballots for the candidate he or she supported.

“At the same time certain political forces who nominated their observers falsified the information about the voting process and the whole election campaign in general. They threatened citizens and members of election commissions. Insults and threats were considered a standard by them. Our representatives registered numerous violations of the law on a daily basis. It is clear that all those actions were links of one chain aimed at destabilizing the situation in the country and discrediting the election. They failed to achieve this,” the statement runs.

“We state that this year's political campaign was held in line with the Election Code. The result of the vote confirms the choice of the citizens of our country and is beyond doubt,” the statement reads.

The telephone conversation between Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko and Russian President Vladimir Putin took place today at the initiative of the Russian leader, BelTA learned from the press service of the Belarusian head of state.

In addition to the bilateral agenda, the parties discussed the pressing issues related to the response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the two countries and the development of a vaccine to combat the infection.

The heads of state also discussed the course of the election campaign in Belarus. Vladimir Putin, in particular, noted the importance of further development of the fraternal Belarusian-Russian relations and the need to counter negative trends and actions by third parties which may lead to their deterioration.

One of the main issues that was discussed during the phone call was the detention of 33 Russian citizens in Belarus. The parties stressed their determination to deal with the situation together in the most decisive manner. The presidents agreed to study thoroughly every fact in order to establish the true causes of the current situation, find those guilty and hold them accountable.

According to the Economy Committee of Minsk Oblast Executive Committee, in the first half of the year, 494.5 thousand sq. M. Were put into operation in the central region at the expense of all funding sources meters of the total area of housing, which is 126.1 percent of the assignment for January-June 2020.

669 residential buildings (apartments) have been built for large families, the newspaper Slava Pratsy writes.

Construction is actively underway in Kopyl region. According to the head of the housing and communal services, architecture and construction department of Kopyl Region Executive Committee Marina Kanonchik, in the first half of the year, 2,943 sq. meters of total housing area, which is 45.3% of the annual target. For large families, 1,688 sq. meters of total housing area, which is 9 residential premises (150% of the plan).

The Belarusian air carrier Belavia has extended suspension of air travel to some destinations, BelTA learned from the website of the airline.

The suspension of flights to Russia has been extended until 14 August (Krasnodar, Sochi – 15 August, Voronezh, Kazan, Nizhny Novgorod – 24 October); Vienna, Larnaca, and Kazakhstan – until 15 August; Riga - 16 August; Georgia - 31 August; Ashgabat - 1 September.

Customers who purchased tickets for these travel dates will be able to apply for a refund or to reschedule the flight till 30 March 2021. Tickets can be refunded and flights can be rescheduled at company's offices and customer service centers.

Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko convened a meeting on 6 August to discuss ways to maintain security during the presidential election, BelTA has learned.

“It is clear that the election is going on, early voting is in full swing; however it still makes sense to analyze once again the current situation taking into consideration our experience, and to think of additional measures to maintain security in the near term. You know the details, I will not repeat them. However, if there are any new circumstances, I would ask chiefs of government agencies to bring them up and put forward their proposals,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.

The president repeated the task for the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the General Prosecutor's Office: all those who insulted and intimidated civil servants, the military, members of election commissions and government officials should be held accountable in line with Belarusian laws and the Constitution. “We have enough resources to protect the people of the state who are now serving the country virtually for free,” the head of state emphasized.

Each of us carries a great responsibility for the future of Belarus today, Chairman of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly Vladimir Andreichenko told reporters as he took part in early voting at polling station No. 4 in Minsk, BelTA has learned.

“I came to vote early due to my work schedule. In general, each of us carries a great responsibility for the future of Belarus today. Everyone should make an informed choice so that Belarus should continue to develop and our

people should live and work in peace. It is important to keep our country stable, safe and secure. This is the basis for improving the well-being of our people. This is what I have voted for today," Vladimir Andreichenko said.

Any campaigns should comply with the Constitution and electoral laws. “Our laws are very progressive. We have introduced amendments and additions to the Electoral Code three times. Our electoral legislation is viewed quite highly by international parliamentary organizations,” the speaker said.

Vladimir Andreichenko stressed that those people who are trying to destabilize the situation in Belarus today seek to stir protests in the society. “This will not do good to the country and the people. We should remain calm, restrained, and I see that this is what people want. I have held many meetings in regions. People understand that it is only through work, discipline, law and order that we can make Belarus a modern, prosperous country," he added.

The loading of nuclear fuel into the first unit of the Belarusian nuclear power plant will begin on 7 August, BelTA learned from Press Secretary of the Belarusian Energy Ministry Olga Kozlovich.

The official said that the loading of fuel rod arrays into the nuclear reactor core of the first unit of the Belarusian nuclear power plant will begin on 7 August as one of the steps in the process of commissioning the unit.

A total of 163 fuel rod arrays will be inserted into the reactor in August.

The Belarusian nuclear power plant is being built near Ostrovets, Grodno Oblast using the Russian design AES-2006 featuring two VVER-1200 reactors with the total output capacity of 2,400MW. The engineering division of the Russian state nuclear industry corporation Rosatom is the general contractor. Generation III+ reactor units boast improved technical and economic parameters. A unique combination of active and passive safeguards is their main peculiarity.

Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko had a telephone conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, BelTA learned from the press service of the Belarusian leader.

The heads of state discussed the development of bilateral relations and preparations for the third Forum of Regions of Belarus and Ukraine due in Grodno this autumn. The parties noted they want to make every effort to ensure that this event should produce significant practical results, intensify cooperation.

Aleksandr Lukashenko and Volodymyr Zelenskyy also discussed the epidemiological situation in the countries, measures to combat the spread of coronavirus, and exchanged the lessons learned in this regard.

The parties discussed the strengthening of control on the Belarusian-Ukrainian border and intensification of cooperation between the border agencies.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy touched upon the matter with the militants detained in Belarus. He said that they took part in the armed conflict in Donbass and the Ukrainian prosecutor's office is conducting an appropriate investigation. Aleksandr Lukashenko said that the law enforcement bodies would cooperate on the issue within the framework of the international agreements signed with Russia and with Ukraine.