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In addition to Lukashenko and Tikhanovskaya, the wife of popular blogger Sergei Tikhanovsky, former MP Ana Kanopackaja, president of the Belarusian social democratic party Hramada, Sergei Cherechen, one of the presidents of the Tell the Truth association, have been nominated.
Lukashenko’s main rival is Tikhanovskaya, a 37-year-old former English teacher who decided to run for office when her husband, a blogger, was arrested and lost his chance to run for office.
His candidacy received unexpectedly strong support and tens of thousands of people turned out for his campaign rallies.
The polling station in central Minsk has been crowded since morning and voters have been waiting their turn to express their will, reported a reporter from the AFP news agency.
Many people, according to the journalist, wore white armbands, which Tikhanovskaya had previously urged him to wear.
“Fresh blood”
“We are waiting for change,” said the 60-year-old, who turned out to vote and declined to give her name.
He added that he had voted for the “new president” Tikhanovskaya because “he promises us election and change.”
“Twenty-six years is a long time. We need fresh blood,” said the 33-year-old businesswoman, adding: “I voted for Tikhanyovskaya.”
Tichanovskaya says she is not a politician and calls herself an “ordinary woman, mother and wife.”
It says it will announce a new election in the event of victory, open to all opposition, including its currently detained members.
However, political observers say there is little doubt that in the absence of international election observers, Lukashenko, who is seeking his sixth term, has falsified the election results.
The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), an international observer of elections and wars, has not declared elections in Belarus to be free and fair since 1995.
This year, the OSCE declared that it would not send observers to the country because Minsk did not invite them in time. The organization also expressed concern about the intimidation and detention of opposition figures.
The Central Election Commission announced Sunday morning that 41.7 percent had voted early. voters and surpassed the previous record reached in the 2015 elections, when 36.05 percent of their will was declared in advance. voters.
However, this will make it easier to manipulate the results, according to observers.
“Tight security”
On election day, the Belarusian authorities tightened security measures. Among other things, vehicles entering Minsk are searched by police officers armed with machine guns. The streets of the capital are being patrolled by reinforced police forces, in addition to blocking access to government buildings.
The people of Belarus also reported problems accessing independent media websites.
Attorney General Aleksandras Koniukas urged voters to act “prudently” and not participate in unauthorized protests, state news agency Belta reported.
Tichanovskaya assured that he will not urge his followers to protest after the vote.
However, he also asked the police not to obey the “criminal orders”.
On Saturday, officials arrested the leader of Tihanovskaya’s election campaign and briefly detained one of her two main allies.
According to the Electoral Code of Belarus, presidential elections are considered to have been held if more than half of the country’s citizens have voted in the electoral roll. A president is considered elected if more than half of the citizens who voted for him.
A total of 6,844,932 citizens and 5,319 citizens of foreign countries were included in the voter rolls in this presidential election.
On August 9, voting in the polling stations will take place until 8:00 p.m. In the afternoon.
Preliminary election results are expected to be announced on Monday.
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