Voting started following a period of almost non-existent election fever. In the capital Minsk, there’s an almost total absence of billboards promoting the candidates and there has been little in the way of campaigning.
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00:00Polls have opened in Belarus in a presidential election, which is all but certain to see
00:06Alexander Lukashenko win a seventh term in office.
00:11Voting got underway following a period of almost non-existent election fever.
00:16In the capital Minsk, there was an almost total absence of billboards promoting the
00:20candidates and there's been little in the way of campaigning.
00:24Seventy-year-old Lukashenko, frequently dubbed Europe's last dictator, has ruled Belarus
00:29with an iron fist since 1994.
00:33In the last election in 2020, he was declared winner with 80% of the vote.
00:39That triggered accusations of voter fraud, months of protests and a harsh crackdown leading
00:44to 65,000 arrests.
00:48Opposition figures were jailed or forced to flee.
00:51This time, the country's 7 million registered voters can choose between five candidates,
00:56and only one of whom is regarded as critical of Lukashenko's rule.