EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
An equal number of young and older people come to polling station No. 6 in the Grodno city gymnasium, a BELTA correspondent was told by the precinct election commission.
“Both yesterday, on the first day of voting, and today, both people of golden age and young people come to the polling station, in approximately equal numbers,” shared the chairman of the precinct commission, Tatyana Gerasimenko. “At the same time, in the first half of the day, more of the older generation votes, and in the second - young voters. This is the peculiarity of our site. It is located in the old city, and at the same time there are three dormitories here: Y. Kupala Grodno State University and Grodno Agrarian University. Students finish their studies and come to vote. It is very pleasant that young people go to elections prepared. The guys say that they learned about the candidates the day before, during information hours. Those who do not have preliminary information spend a long time getting acquainted with the biographies of the candidates before receiving ballots."
At the city gymnasium named after Hero of Belarus Alexander Dubko, where station No. 6 is located, we were lucky enough to meet and talk with Emma Nikiforovna Dubko, the widow of the legendary leader in the Grodno region. She shared her festive mood.
“For me, elections have always been a holiday, and now it’s also a joy to come to the polling station and vote for worthy fellow countrymen,” said Emma Nikiforovna. “Even as a child, I ran with my friends to the club in the village of Putrishki in the Grodno region, where voting took place. Ballots We, of course, were not given any, but the upbeat atmosphere, performances by artists, and treats at the buffet were very inviting. For the first time, I went to the polls as a voter with my mother, and it was a truly special day for us. My mother ran for office that year. Supreme Council of the BSSR. She worked in agriculture, was a Hero of Socialist Labor, and I was very proud when I marked her name on the ballot. Since then, I have never missed an election, no matter where we lived, and Alexander Iosifovich and I moved eight times ". When my husband ran for the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, he always supported him with her voice, understanding, and all possible help in the family. When he was awarded the star of the Hero of Socialist Labor, he said: “The star has five rays, three of them are yours, your wife.”
Now Emma Nikiforovna considers it her duty to cherish the memory of her famous husband. And the students of the city gymnasium, which bears his name, patronize it. As the director of the gymnasium, Yulia Anisimova, said, they are now discussing the idea of creating a mural dedicated to Alexander Dubko on the wall of the school building.
Emma Dubko's arrival at the polls ended with a heartfelt conversation in the school principal's office, where they discussed a meeting on the upcoming Women's Day.
“I cast my vote for honest, open, competent, worthy candidates, in whom I gained confidence,” shared primary school teacher Liliya Volkova, who also voted early. “Our children are growing up, many have grandchildren. Of course, we are thinking about how so that they live in a peaceful and prosperous country. And for this we must determine our own future by participating in elections. Every citizen must come to the polling station to exercise their constitutional right and fulfill their civic duty."