Parliamentary elections were held in
Belarus
Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by R ...
on 11 September 2016.
Electoral system
The 110 members of the
House of Representatives
House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...
were previously elected using the
two-round system
The two-round system (TRS), also known as runoff voting, second ballot, or ballotage, is a voting method used to elect a single candidate, where voters cast a single vote for their preferred candidate. It generally ensures a majoritarian resu ...
. However, a new electoral code was introduced in 2013, abolishing the requirement for candidates to receive an absolute majority, effectively changing the voting system to
first-past-the-post
In a first-past-the-post electoral system (FPTP or FPP), formally called single-member plurality voting (SMP) when used in single-member districts or informally choose-one voting in contrast to ranked voting, or score voting, voters cast thei ...
. All candidates are elected in single-member constituencies.
[Electoral System Design data for Belarus]
IDEA However, if there is only one candidate, they are required to receive at least 50% of the votes cast (voters may also vote against all).
[ Voter turnout in a constituency must be at least 50% for the election to be deemed valid.][
In cases where the turnout have not been met or no candidate has been elected, repeat elections will be held.][Article 87. Repeated elections]
Electoral Code of the Republic of Belarus
Participating parties
The pro-government Communist Party of Belarus
The Communist Party of Belarus (CPB; russian: Коммунисти́ческая па́ртия Белару́си, Kommunisticheskaya Partiya Belarusi; be, Камуністы́чная па́ртыя Белару́сі, Kamunistyčnaja Partyja B ...
, the Liberal Democratic Party, the Republican Party of Labour and Justice
The Republican Party of Labour and Justice (RPTS; russian: Республиканская партия труда и справедливости; РПТС, Respublikanskaya partiya truda i spravedlivosti; RPTS; be, Рэспубліканская ...
and the Belarusian Patriotic Party
The Belarusian Patriotic Party ( be, Беларуская патрыятычная партыя, Bielaruskaja patryjatyčnaja partyja, BPP) is a political party in Belarus loyal to President Alexander Lukashenko. Nikolai Ulakhovich is party cha ...
all participated in the elections, whilst many pro-government candidates ran as independents.
In contrast to the previous elections in 2012, the opposition did not boycott the elections, instead forming an alliance under the name ''Prava Vybaru'' (, , 'The Right to Choose') consisting of the BPF Party
The BPF Party ( be, Партыя БНФ, Partyja BNF; russian: Партия БНФ, Partiya BNF) is a political party in Belarus. It was de facto established after the split of the social movement Belarusian Popular Front ( abbr. BPF; be, Бел ...
, the Belarusian Christian Democracy
The Belarusian Christian Democracy ( be, Беларуская хрысьціянская дэмакратыя, Bielaruskaja chryścijanskaja demakratyja; russian: Белорусская христианская демократия, Belorusskaya ...
, the Belarusian Social Democratic Party (Assembly)
)
, membership_year = 2019
, membership = 1,127
, newspaper = ''Adliustravannie'',''Pazicyja''
, youth_wing = Young Social Democrats — Young Hramada
, colours = Red White
, colorcode =
, seats1_title = House of Representatives
, seats1 ...
, the Za svabodu movement, the United Civic Party of Belarus
The United Civic Party (UCP; be, Аб'яднаная грамадзянская партыя; АГП, Abjadnanaja hramadzianskaja partyja; AHP; russian: Объединённая гражданская партия; ОГП, Obyedinonnaya grazhdans ...
, the Belarusian Party "The Greens", the Belarusian Liberal Party of Freedom and Progress and the Trade Union of Electric Industry. The Belarusian Left Party "A Just World"
The Belarusian Left Party "A Just World" ( be, Беларуская партыя левых «Справядлівы свет», Bielaruskaja partyja lievych «Spraviadlivy sviet») is a left-wing political party in Belarus that opposes the go ...
also contested the elections.Оппозиционные коммунисты рассказали, с чем пойдут на выборы
Tut, 20 June 2016
Results
The Central Election Commission stated that elections had been deemed valid in all constituencies. At the same time, independent observers declared that turnout data had been falsified in many constituencies, particularly in Minsk, and the real turnout was less than 50% required for the results in a constituency to be deemed valid.
The elections saw two opposition candidates win seats, the first since 2004. Hanna Kanapatskaya, a member of the United Civic Party
The United Civic Party (UCP; be, Аб'яднаная грамадзянская партыя; АГП, Abjadnanaja hramadzianskaja partyja; AHP; russian: Объединённая гражданская партия; ОГП, Obyedinonnaya grazhdans ...
won in one of the Minsk constituencies, whilst independent candidate Alena Anisim won in a constituency in the Minsk Region. The other 93 independent candidates were considered to be pro-government. The Communist Party of Belarus
The Communist Party of Belarus (CPB; russian: Коммунисти́ческая па́ртия Белару́си, Kommunisticheskaya Partiya Belarusi; be, Камуністы́чная па́ртыя Белару́сі, Kamunistyčnaja Partyja B ...
, the Republican Party of Labour and Justice
The Republican Party of Labour and Justice (RPTS; russian: Республиканская партия труда и справедливости; РПТС, Respublikanskaya partiya truda i spravedlivosti; RPTS; be, Рэспубліканская ...
and the Belarusian Patriotic Party
The Belarusian Patriotic Party ( be, Беларуская патрыятычная партыя, Bielaruskaja patryjatyčnaja partyja, BPP) is a political party in Belarus loyal to President Alexander Lukashenko. Nikolai Ulakhovich is party cha ...
all support President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
* President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...
Alexander Lukashenko
Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko (as transliterated from Russian language, Russian; also transliterated from Belarusian language, Belarusian as Alyaksand(a)r Ryhoravich Lukashenka;, ; rus, Александр Григорьевич Лука ...
, and although the Liberal Democratic Party declares to be "constructive democratic opposition", it is ''de facto'' pro-government.
References
External links
Elections In Belarus: The Continuation Of A New Model?
Belarus Digest
Belarusian Opposition Prepares For The 2016 Parliamentary Elections
Belarus Digest
Formation Of Precinct Election Commissions - Digest Of The 2016 Parliamentary Elections
Belarus Digest
Nomination And Registration Of Candidates - Digest Of The 2016 Parliament Elections
Belarus Digest
{{Belarusian elections
Belarus
Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by R ...
Parliament
In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...
Parliamentary elections in Belarus