Presidential Elections Begin in Belarus
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Synopsis
The presidential election in Belarus commenced on January 26, with polling stations open from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Five candidates, including incumbent Alexander Lukashenko, are participating in this crucial election. Early voting has already seen significant turnout, with 41.81% of eligible voters casting their ballots.
Key Takeaways
- Polling stations opened at 8:00 a.m. and closed at 8:00 p.m.
- Five candidates, including Alexander Lukashenko.
- 5,325 polling stations available for voting.
- Over 6.9 million eligible voters.
- 41.81% participated in early voting.
Minsk, Jan 26 (NationPress) The presidential election has commenced in Belarus on Sunday, with polling stations starting operations at 8:00 a.m. (0500 GMT) and concluding at 8 p.m. (1700 GMT).
Five candidates, including the current president Alexander Lukashenko, are registered for the election, as reported by Xinhua news agency.
Citizens will cast their votes at a total of 5,325 polling stations spread across the nation, with approximately 6.9 million eligible voters, according to the Central Election Commission.
For the elections to be deemed valid, over half of the registered voters must participate. A candidate is declared elected if they garner support from more than half of the participating voters.
Early voting occurred from January 21 to 25.
The Central Election Commission reported that 41.81 percent of eligible voters cast their ballots during the early voting period, which was designed for those unable to vote on the main election day.
Previously, the Central Election Commission announced the establishment of polling stations for the presidential elections.
A total of 5,325 polling stations have been arranged, with 925 in the Gomel region, 894 in the Minsk region, 861 in Brest region, 701 in Minsk city, 683 in Mogilev region, 672 in Vitebsk region, and 589 in Grodno region.
According to the law, the president of Belarus is selected through direct elections, and a candidate must secure more than 50 percent of the votes to win. If no candidate achieves this majority, the top two candidates will proceed to a runoff, where the one receiving a simple majority will be declared the winner.
Presidential elections are held every five years. In the previous election on August 9, 2020, Lukashenko was re-elected for a sixth term, obtaining 80.1 percent of the vote.
