Exit polls indicate that Lukashenko wins the presidential election in Belarus with 87.6% of the votes.

Alexander Lukashenko wins the presidential elections in Belarus with a result of 87.6%, according to exit poll data.

Four other candidates received between 1.2% and 2.7%. "Against all" was marked by 5.1% of Belarusian voters, based on surveys conducted at polling stations.

Polling stations in the Republic of Belarus closed at 8 PM local time. According to the Central Election Commission, the voter turnout at the time of closing was 85.7%.

His opponents, many of whom are in prison or abroad due to the ruthless suppression of dissent and freedom of speech, believe these elections are as fake as those in 2020, which sparked months of protests. During the crackdown, over 65,000 people were arrested, and thousands were beaten.

During the election campaign, few doubted that Lukashenko would be re-elected for a new, seventh term.

This time, in addition to Lukashenko, there are four other candidates on the ballot, and only one former member of the National Assembly, Anna Kanopatskaya, is considered opposition. She previously ran in the 2020 elections, receiving just over 1.5 percent of the votes.

Polling stations were not opened outside Belarus. The Belarusian diaspora, led by opposition figures, is organizing actions abroad on January 26, particularly in Poland, Lithuania, the Czech Republic, Sweden, and other countries.

The head of European diplomacy, Kaja Kallas, also called the current elections "fake." "Lukashenko has clung to power for 30 years. Tomorrow he will again appoint himself in another sham election. This is a blatant insult to democracy. Lukashenko has no legitimacy," Kallas wrote on social media.

Lukashenko took office in 1994, two years after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, earning him the title of “The Last Dictator of Europe.”

Always relying on subsidies and political support from Russia, Lukashenko allowed Moscow to use his territory for the invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and even hosted part of Russia's tactical nuclear weapons.

Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya led a protest march in Warsaw on Sunday. She stated that under President Lukashenko, Belarus has turned into a military base and a launching pad for aggression against Ukraine.

Only through force and violence does Lukashenko remain where he is, and of course, with Putin's support

Tsikhanouskaya and her allies unfurled a 330-meter white-red-white banner, resembling the historical flag of Belarus, which has been banned by Lukashenko's government. March participants also carried portraits of political prisoners.

"We believe, we can, we will win!" - they chanted.

Pavel Latushko, Deputy Head of the United Transitional Cabinet of Ministers of Belarus: "We do not urge Belarusians to take to the streets today because that would mean sending them to prison. The level of repression is so high that currently, there is no possibility to organize any mass protests in Belarus. Even a solitary picket poses a threat of imprisonment and subsequent torture."

Opposition leaders have urged their compatriots in Belarus to mark "against all" on their ballots.