Belarus announces presidential candidates: Lukashenko runs for seventh term

The Belarusian service of Radio Liberty Europe reported the information.

The decision to register the candidates was made by the Central Election Commission (CEC) at a meeting on December 23, following verification of the authenticity of the signatures collected in support of the candidates and confirming their exact number.

According to the CEC, 2,518,145 citizens allegedly supported Lukashenko's candidacy. Oleg Gaidukevich, leader of the Liberal Democratic Party, received 134,472 signatures; Sergei Sirankov, first secretary of the Communist Party's Central Committee, got 125,577; individual entrepreneur Anna Kanapatskaya received 121,077; and Alexander Khizhnyak, head of the Republican Party of Labor and Justice, got 112,779.

Lukashenko is running for a seventh term as president of Belarus.

"The elections in Belarus are taking place amid a political crisis, large-scale repression, and, according to international organizations, are considered neither free nor democratic. Belarus no longer has officially registered opposition parties or independent public organizations," the outlet notes.

Since 1996, the international community has not recognized elections and referendums in Belarus.

• Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko threatened to completely shut down the internet in the country in the event of mass protests following the upcoming presidential elections.