In the Vitebsk region, almost 99% of registered initiative groups are nominating non-party candidates
In total, territorial election commissions registered 2,559 initiative groups in the region, which is almost 8% more than during the campaign for the election of local deputies in 2014. If four years ago there were 6 refusals in their registration, then in the current election campaign, only one candidate dropped out of the race at this stage, who intended to run for the Vitebsk City Council, but indicated a district of the regional Council of Deputies in his application.
34 party activists decided to nominate themselves for representative bodies of power by collecting signatures in their support. Among them are the largest number of members of the Communist Party of Belarus - 15 candidates, with representatives of the CPB being nominated to Councils of all levels. In addition, 9 representatives of the United Civil Party, four members of the Belarusian Party of Leftists "A Just World", three each from the Belarusian Social Democratic Party (Hramada) and the BPF Party intend to run in this way. At this stage, competition for mandates has already formed in the elections to the regional council, where 72 people are running for 60 seats, including 28 deputies of the current convocation who intend to be re-elected, as well as city councils (171 initiative groups are registered for 133 electoral districts).
In total, 221 Councils are to be formed and 3,112 deputies are to be elected in the Vitebsk region in the elections on February 18, 2018, including 2,253 for rural and settlement councils, 133 for city councils, and 666 for district Councils.