VITEBSK, 19 December (BelTA) – A total of 911 polling stations have opened in Vitebsk Oblast on 19 December, BelTA learnt from Chairman of the Vitebsk Oblast Election Commission Vyacheslav Kryukovsky. Two polling stations were set up in military units, 51 in health farms, hospitals, and holiday hotels. The commissions include 11,458 members. Over 40% of them were nominated by public organizations and political parties, over one third were nominated by submitting an application, the rest were delegated by labor collectives. Only 3.7% of the commission members are civil servants. Some 4,153 ballot boxes were installed at the polling stations, including ballot boxes for early voting and mobile boxes for voting at home. Apart from traditional non-transparent ballot boxes, 82 transparent ballot boxes were installed. Over 4,400 domestic observers and more than 40 short-term observers from the CIS and OSCE will monitor the election in the region. In Vitebsk Oblast, there are 28 territorial election commissions, including one oblast commission, 21 district commissions, three town commissions in major towns and three city district commissions in Vitebsk. They employ 364 people. More than half of them represent public associations and political parties, 27.7% were nominated by citizens through collecting signatures, 19.8% were nominated by labor collectives. The commissions include members of the Belarusian Leftist Party “Fair World”, the Communist Party of Belarus, the Liberal Democratic Party, the United Civil Party, the National Labor and Justice Party. Women account for over 60% of the members of the commissions. Belarusians under 30 account for 9.1% of the commission members.

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