Official: 2.5 million ballot-access signatures collected for Łukašenka

December 8, Pozirk. A record 2.5 million ballot-access signatures have been collected for Alaksandar Łukašenka’s presidential nomination, his administration’s head Dźmitryj Krutoj announced yesterday at an election rally and concert in Orša, Viciebsk region.
Łukašenka, who has been in power since 1994, allegedly collected the largest number of signatures in every election campaign since 2001.
Belarus will hold its seventh presidential election from January 21 to 26, with the whole election cycle limited to just three months.
Apart from Łukašenka, the bidders include his supporters Aleh Hajdukievič, Alaksandar Chižniak, Siarhiej Syrankoŭ as well as former MP Hanna Kanapackaja. Two days ago, they completed collecting ballot-access signatures. All candidates must garner at least 100,000 voter signatures to qualify for the race.
The current campaign is taking place in a purged political landscape amid a new wave of crackdown on regime critics. The previous 2020 presidential race was marred by police brutality against peaceful protesters.
Belarus has not held a single free and fair election since 1996 by the standards of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

OSCE group reminds Minsk of its commitments, calls for free election
- PoliticsUkraine, Russia hold new prisoner swap in BelarusThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- PoliticsOSCE group: Belarus must end crackdown on opponentsThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- PoliticsUN expert urges Minsk to speed up release of jailed dissidentsThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- PoliticsBelarus', Russia's PMs discuss integration in phone callThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Politics
- Economy, PoliticsEU court upholds sanctions on Belarusian chemical plantsThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- PoliticsIrregular Belarus-EU crossings surge 62 percent in January-June from H2 2024The material is available only to POZIRK+
- PoliticsCichanoŭskaja's aide discusses political prisoners at UN human rights officeThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Politics
- Politics, SocietyReprisals: 26 persecuted in Biełaruski Hajun caseThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- PoliticsAt least 1,944 NGOs dissolved since August 2020 – LawtrendThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Politics
- EconomyBotswana’s foreign minister invites investment from Belarus, playing up benefits of peaceful power transferThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- SocietyProsecutor appeals convicted Belarusian spy’s sentenceThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- PoliticsOpposition social security chief decries forced deportation of pardoned prisonersThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- SocietyEducation officials make conflicting statements on free tuition quota for RussiansThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Society
- Economy
- Politics, Security
- Politics, SecurityPoland convicts seven Georgians accused of transporting undocumented migrantsThe material is available only to POZIRK+