Minsk, Jan 27 (IANS): Incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko has won the presidential election of Belarus, according to the preliminary results released early Monday by the country's Central Election Commission.
The preliminary data from the Central Election Commission showed that Lukashenko received 86.82 per cent of the vote. Sergei Syrankov, Oleg Gaidukevich, Anna Kanopatskaya and Alexander Khizhnyak secured 3.21 per cent, 2.02 per cent, 1.86 per cent and 1.74 per cent of the vote, respectively.
Earlier, an exit poll cited by the Belarusian Committee of Youth Organisations also showed Lukashenko leading with 87.6 per cent of the vote, reports Xinhua news agency.
The exit poll showed that the other four candidates received the following percentages of the vote: Oleg Gaidukevich 1.8 per cent, Alexander Khizhnyak 1.2 per cent, Anna Kanopatskaya 1.6 per cent and Sergei Syrankov 2.7 per cent. 5.1 per cent voted against all candidates.
The presidential election kicked off in Belarus earlier on Sunday, with polling stations opening at 8:00 a.m. (0500 GMT) and closing at 8 p.m. (1700 GMT).
Voters cast their ballots at 5,325 polling stations nationwide, and the number of voters stands at about 6.9 million, according to the country's Central Election Commission.
Early voting for the country's presidential election took place from January 21 to 25.
The Central Election Commission said Saturday that 41.81 per cent of eligible voters cast their ballots during the five-day early voting session, which is organised for those unable to vote on the election day.
Earlier, the Central Election Commission had confirmed the formation of polling stations for the presidential elections in the country.
The president is elected for five-year terms. A two-term limit, reintroduced by 2022 amendments to the constitution, will be imposed after the election.
According to the law, Belarus' president is chosen through direct elections, and a candidate winning more than 50 per cent of the vote will be elected. If no candidate achieves this majority, the two leading candidates will enter a second round, in which the candidate who receives a simple majority wins.
Presidential elections take place every five years. In the last election on August 9, 2020, Lukashenko was reelected president for the sixth time with 80.1 per cent of the vote.