Belarus does not need foreign approval for its presidential election, which is being held today, authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko said, quoted by DPA.
The election is being held for the people, Lukashenko said after voting in the capital Minsk. He added that it was completely irrelevant to him whether the European Union would recognize the election or not.
The 70-year-old Lukashenko is trying to secure another, already seventh, term after more than 30 years in power in the former Soviet republic.
After the last election in 2020, massive protests almost brought him down. However, he violently suppressed the protests and has maintained a kind of political peace in Belarus since then, DPA notes.
According to estimates by human rights activists, about 1,200 opponents of Lukashenko are still in prison. "Some have chosen prison, others - exile, but we have not expelled anyone from the country," he said in Minsk.
Opposition candidates were not allowed to participate in the elections. Four candidates ran against Lukashenko as a formality. Polling stations will remain open until 8 p.m. local time. Lukashenko's victory is expected to be declared after that.