Hardline Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko is expected to retain his leadership despite the opposition’s call for voters to boycott parliamentary elections.
The two main opposition parties urged voters not to participate in, what they see as, a sham exercise by the Lukashenko leadership to retain power.
Western monitoring agencies have not judged an election in Lukashenko’s Belarus as ‘free and fair’ for 18 years.
Lukashenko, labelled as the last dictator of Europe, cracked down on street protests against his re-election in 2010.
Human rights bodies have noted that the run up to the current poll was marred with arrests and detention of opposition activists.
Opposition activists complained that they were stopped by police when distributing leaflets.
Speaking to journalists about the elections, Lukashenko said, “ there is nothing to criticise so far.”
“They should envy our boring elections. We don’t need any revolutions or upheavels.”
Braving US and European Union sanctions, Lukashenko’s Belarus has survived on the back of Russia, which has provided £2.7 billion in loans and investment.
