Belarusian voters went to the polls to vote in the country's presidential election on August 9. Incumbent President Alyaksandr Lukashenka, who has ruled the country since 1994 and won five elections, won almost 80 percent of the vote, according to an official exit poll released soon after polls closed.
Potential opposition candidates weren't allowed to participate, like jailed blogger Syarhey Tsikhanouski, whose wife, Svyatlana, stood in for him in the election. It was the first nationwide vote to take place without OSCE monitors in Belarus since 2001.
Potential opposition candidates weren't allowed to participate, like jailed blogger Syarhey Tsikhanouski, whose wife, Svyatlana, stood in for him in the election. It was the first nationwide vote to take place without OSCE monitors in Belarus since 2001.