The current election campaign will have a number of features due to changes in legislation

The election campaign for deputies of local Councils, which will be held on March 23 next year, will have a number of features associated with the changes in electoral legislation that have entered into force. In the Vitebsk region, a total of 3218 deputies will be elected, which is almost 9% less than in the previous campaign. Along with the reduction in the number of mandates, a personal renewal of the composition of the Councils can also be predicted.

At the beginning of the week, the head of state approved the date of the local elections. The first organizational stage of the campaign is the formation of election commissions. According to the law, the right to nominate commission members is granted, in addition to political parties and public organizations, to labor collectives (with a workforce of at least 10 people) and citizens by submitting an application signed by at least 10 voters. Territorial commissions must be formed by December 27, district election commissions for elections to the regional Council of Deputies – by January 6, polling stations – by January 21, and precinct election commissions – by February 5 inclusive.

The most interesting events can be expected at the stage of nomination and registration of candidates for deputies, which will take place from January 12 to February 10 and from February 11 to February 20, respectively. After registration, the election campaign will begin, ending on the eve of the main voting day.

It is too early to talk about the deputy ambitions of potential campaign participants, but it is easy to assume that the personal composition of the Councils will be updated. For example, three deputies from the regional Council are already engaged in lawmaking in the lower house of parliament, another deputy has moved to the capital and works in the Ministry of Housing and Communal Services, so it is obvious that they will not be able to take part in the current campaign. Among the current deputies of the regional council, eight deputies have experience working in the regional representative body for three convocations, and twelve deputies have been elected to the regional council twice.

One of the significant innovations of the upcoming local elections is the provision that voters will only be able to vote at their place of permanent or temporary registration, which, according to the Central Election Commission, will prevent double voting. Also, during this campaign, the institution of mandatory accreditation for national election observers is being introduced for the first time (previously, it was only provided for foreign observers), and a rule prohibiting campaigning for an election boycott will come into effect. A candidate for a deputy mandate will only be able to run in one constituency. Candidates will be required to disclose all criminal convictions they have had in their lives, even if they have been expunged or set aside. In addition, those without official sources of income will indicate in their income and property declaration the source by which they subsist.

During the elections on March 23, voters in the Vitebsk region will have to form a regional council, 21 district councils, 5 city councils in cities of regional and district subordination, and 197 rural and settlement councils.

Sergey Kochetov, "Vitebskiye Vesti"