Belarusians began casting their votes on Sunday in the country’s presidential election, with incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko aiming for a seventh term in office. Voting commenced at 8 a.m. local time (0500 GMT) and will continue until 8 p.m. local time (1700 GMT), with 5,325 polling stations set up across Belarus.
Over 6.9 million citizens are eligible to participate in this critical election, and early voting took place from January 21 to 25. According to the Belarusian Central Election Commission (CEC), 41.81% of the electorate took part in the early voting.
Lukashenko, who has been in power since 1994, faces competition from four other candidates. Oleg Gaidukevich, chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party, Sergey Syrankov, leader of the Communist Party, Alexander Khizhnyak, head of the Republican Party of Labour and Justice, and Hanna Kanapatskaya, an independent candidate who previously ran in the 2020 election, are all vying for the presidency.
The Belarusian Central Election Commission (CEC) Chairman Igor Karpenko announced that nearly 500 international observers have been accredited to monitor the election process, ensuring transparency and fairness.
The election comes amid ongoing political challenges and public discontent with Lukashenko’s administration, especially following the 2020 elections, which were widely criticized for alleged irregularities and sparked mass protests. This year’s election is set to be a significant event, shaping Belarus’s political future.
As the voting continues, all eyes are on Belarus to see if Lukashenko can secure another term or if a shift in leadership will take place. The outcome of the election will have major implications for the country’s domestic and international policies in the years to come.
