May 11, Pozirk. The start of the voting process for the election of the opposition Coordination Council was moved from midnight on May 11 to 10 pm on the same day for security reasons, says a decision by its election commission.
This will give Pavieł Libier’s team additional time to complete checks on Sumsub, the company responsible for online voter verification. Should the check reveal unaccounted-for risks to voters, the start of the election may be postponed.
Yesterday, Naša Niva described Sumsub as “a rather controversial organization,” which used to have offices in Russia.
It reportedly ceased operations in Russia and Belarus after Moscow launched a full-scale war on Ukraine in 2022 with the support of the Belarusian authorities. Even though Sumsub currently “positions itself as British,” it remains unknown “who actually controls the company,” the report said. Libier later confirmed two incidents involving data leaks from Sumsub, but said no users’ personal data had been compromised.
Belarusian authorities are investing heavily in efforts to disrupt the Coordination Council election, the activist noted last week. The opposition structures are under massive attack, unlike during the 2024 election, which was marked only by some DDoS attacks, he told journalists. Rights defenders also reported pressure on the candidates’ families in Belarus.
As many as 174 candidates representing nine political groups are running in the elections for the 80-member Coordination Council scheduled for May 11-17. Belarusian authorities branded all groups as “extremist” in an attempt to disrupt the voting.
The Coordination Council is a non-governmental body established in 2020 to facilitate a democratic transfer of power in Belarus. The Council originally had 64 core members with a seven-member leadership board. Amid the post-election crackdown in Belarus, many of the Council’s members were arrested or forced into exile.
In 2022 and 2023, the Coordination Council was re-established abroad as a body consisting of representatives of various pro-democracy groups in exile.
In May 2024, the Council held its first direct online elections, with more than 6,700 citizens of Belarus reportedly taking part in them.
With 28 seats, Pavieł Łatuška and the Movement for Freedom currently represent the Council’s largest political group. Łatuška is the deputy head of the opposition transition cabinet led by Sviatłana Cichanoŭskaja.
