Opposition report mass violations in Belarus polls as strongman woos West

Belarusians voted in parliamentary polls on Sunday with opposition observers claiming mass violations despite strongman President Alexander Lukashenko's efforts to reach out to the West.

Lukashenko -- who has been dubbed "Europe's last dictator" -- has ruled the ex-Soviet nation since 1994 and overseen a series of elections that international observers have deemed unfair.

Voters were on Sunday electing the 110 MPs of the House of Representatives, the lower chamber in what the opposition calls a rubber-stamp parliament.

Those critical of Lukashenko faced little choice at the ballot box, with the main opposition leaders and the only two current opposition MPs barred from standing.

An election monitoring campaign organised by opposition parties reported 524 violations by the afternoon, mostly officials inflating voter numbers at polling stations as compared to observers' counts.

Rights activists monitoring the vote complained observers were thrown out, banned from taking photographs and had their view blocked.

Alaksej Janukevich, deputy head of the Belarus National Front opposition party, told AFP he believed the authorities had chosen "the familiar scenario of falsifications".

According to the authorities, more than 35 per cent of the 6.8 million electorate voted ahead of polling day through absentee ballots.

After casting his vote, Lukashenko told journalists "Of course I am concerned how the elections will be viewed in the West," but added: "I'm not accustomed to fret about this." Confirming he will stand in presidential polls in summer 2020, he said: "If society doesn't like how the president organises this (vote), they can choose a fresh one next year. I won't cling on with my cold dead hands."
"Who the hell needs a union like that?" Lukashenko said Sunday, complaining Russia keeps "sneaking in new conditions."