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Ethical reasons should keep people with convictions from running in elections, suggests top election official

Ethical reasons should keep people with convictions from running in elections, even if the conviction has been quashed, Lidziya Yarmoshyna, head of the central election commission, told reporters in Minsk on October 2.

According to Ms. Yarmoshyna, the Electoral Code amendments whose first reading was approved by the House of Representatives on Wednesday would require candidates to inform voters about their convictions even if the convictions have already been quashed.

"The voter should know everything about the candidate even if he now has a clean record and his conviction has been vacated," she said.

According to Ms. Yarmoshyna, formerly, people who committed theft could not run in elections, but now they consider it morally acceptable for themselves to do so.

She cited the example of a candidate who had twice been convicted of car theft but offered himself for election to the House of Representatives. "He felt he was morally right," she said. "Moreover, he was admitted to the ‘Tell the Truth!’ movement. So they will now have to tell the truth to voters." //BelaPAN