98 candidates will compete for 60 seats in the Vitebsk Regional Council of Deputies

March 26, Vitebsk / Diana Kurilo - BELTA /. The most intense competition for deputy mandates will unfold in the Vitebsk, Orsha, Polotsk, and Novopolotsk city councils. The competition here will be 1.66 people per seat, the regional election commission for the election of deputies of local councils of the 26th convocation informed a BELTA correspondent, summarizing the results of candidate registration. 98 candidates will compete for 60 seats in the regional Council of Deputies. 18 of them are represented by political parties, with 9 being members of the BNF. 24 women are running for the regional council, as well as 22 deputies of the current convocation. Territorial and district commissions for elections to local Councils of Deputies of the Vitebsk region have registered 3761 candidates for deputies out of 3820 applicants. 52 applicants were denied registration due to unreliable information indicated in the submitted declarations, as well as in connection with identified violations during the collection of signatures. Another 7 applicants withdrew their documents. Among the registered candidates for deputies of local councils, 67 are nominated by parties. Along with members of the BNF, members of the Belarusian Party of Left "A Just World", the Belarusian Social Democratic Party (Hramada), the Communist Party of Belarus, and the United Civil Party will enter the competition. Among the candidates, 46.2% are women, 6.2% are youth under 30 years of age, and 49% are current deputies. The largest number of applicants for a deputy mandate, 28%, work in the social sphere, education, science, and healthcare. The agro-industrial complex is represented by 23.7% of candidates, industry by 12.6%, and the unemployed by 3.2%. The pre-election campaigning of candidates will last until April 24 inclusive. Local authorities have determined the venues for meetings of candidates and their proxies with voters, places for holding mass pre-election events in a notification procedure, and for placing pre-election printed materials. In the Vitebsk region, there are 60 district commissions for the election of deputies of the regional council and 240 territorial commissions for the election of deputies of district, city, rural, and settlement councils. The deputy corps of the 26th convocation will be formed with 3530 members. Elections to local Councils of Deputies are scheduled for April 25, 2010. -0-