As many as 74.3 percent of all eligible voters cast their ballots in Belarus’ September 18-23 House of Representatives elections, Mikalay Lazavik, secretary of the central election commission, announced at about 0:30 a.m. at a news conference in Minsk.
According him, voter turnout was 81.1 percent in the Vitsyebsk region, 76.6 percent in the Homyel region, 79.2 percent in the Hrodna region, 76.1 percent in the Minsk region, 79.9 in the Mahilyow region, 74.2 percent in the Brest region, and 59.2 percent in the city of Minsk.
As many as 109 out of the 110 seats in the House of Representatives were filled in the elections, said Lidziya Yarmoshyna, head of the central election commission.
The only district where no one was elected to the House was Electoral District No. 36 in Homyel. Syarhey Melnikaw, an employee of a Homyel-based private company called MS-Market who is a member of the Liberal Democratic Party, was the only candidate on the ballot in the district. He failed to get elected because he did not win at least 50 percent plus one vote, Ms. Yarmoshyna said.
According to her, a repeat election will have to be held in the district, most likely simultaneously with the next, 2014 local elections.
