Belarus starts the main day of voting in presidential election

The main day of voting in the presidential election is held in Belarus on 26 January from 08:00 to 20:00 Moscow time.

The Central Election Commission (CEC) of Belarus has registered five candidates. Among them are the incumbent president, Aleksander Lukashenko; Chairman of the Republican Labor and Justice Party Aleksander Khizhnyak; Chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party of Belarus Oleg Gaidukevich; individual entrepreneur Anna Kanopatskaya; and First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Republic of Belarus Sergey Syrankov.

From 21 to 25 January, early voting was held in the republic. At the same time, the Public Election Observation Centre, which included the largest public associations and political parties, began its work. According to Igor Karpenko, Chair of the Central Election Commission of Belarus, more than 480 international observers were accredited for the election.

"The most numerous is the mission of the Commonwealth of Independent States, while the second largest is the mission of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation," BelTA, partner of TV BRICS, reports his words.

He stressed that the presidential election campaign is traditionally characterised by high turnout.

On the main voting day, voters can not only vote for a candidate, but also enjoy a bright cultural programme. For example, concerts, exhibitions, and master classes are held at polling stations in the Gomel region.

This is the seventh presidential election in the history of Belarus. The CEC will establish the voting results no later than 5 February. If necessary, a second round will also be held.

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