BELARUS: Pro-government exit poll gives incumbent president Alexander Lukashenko a landslide election victory

Record ID: 327387

  • Title: BELARUS: Pro-government exit poll gives incumbent president Alexander Lukashenko a landslide election victory
  • Date: 20th December 2010
  • Summary: MINSK, BELARUS (DECEMBER 19, 2010) (REUTERS) VIEW OF POLLING STATION WITH ELECTION WORKERS AROUND TABLE OBSERVERS ELECTION OFFICIAL OPENS SEAL ON BALLOT BOX CLOSE AS ELECTION OFFICIAL OPENS BALLOT BOX AND TIPS OUT BALLOT PAPERS ELECTION WORKER PULLS PAPERS ACROSS TABLE ELECTION WORKER EMPTIES BOX, PULLING PAPERS FROM UNDERNEATH ELECTION WORKERS AROUND TABLE AS OFFICIAL EMPTIES BOX VARIOUS AS ELECTION WORKERS SORT BALLOT PAPERS INTO PILES FOR EACH CANDIDATE OBSERVERS WATCH PILE OF BALLOT PAPERS ELECTION WORKER ELECTION WORKERS SORT BALLOTS. PILE OF BALLOT PAPERS OBSERVER NEAR ELECTION POSTER ON TABLE PILE OF BALLOTS FOR OPPOSITION CANDIDATE ANDREI SANNIKOV ELECTION WORKERS AROUND TABLE ELECTION WORKERS SORTING BALLOT PAPERS PILE OF BALLOTS FOR INCUMBENT PRESIDENT ALEXANDER LUKASHENKO ELECTION WORKERS ROUND TABLE SORTING BALLOTS
  • Embargoed: 4th January 2011 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Belarus, Belarus
  • Country: Belarus
  • Topics: Domestic Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA6DP74O685JK8IYIFSZRNU2JL4
  • Story Text: Votes were counted in Belarus presidential elections as polls closed on Sunday night (December 19) and early exit polls gave incumbent Alexander Lukashenko a clear lead.
    As polls closed at 2000 (1800GMT), police in Belarus dispersed an opposition march and beat its leader, after a pollster said veteran leader Alexander Lukashenko won by a landslide.
    The pro-government EcooM exit poll group said Lukashenko, who has ruled with an iron fist since 1994, had won 79.1 percent of the vote.
    A group of about 70 demonstrators had been heading to October Square in the capital Minsk shortly before polls closed to protest against the sure-fire re-election of Lukashenko to a fourth term at the helm of the ex-Soviet republic.
    The conduct of the vote, the margin of victory, and how opposition protests are handled may decide how far the European Union goes in engaging with the country of 10 million people that serves as a buffer between Russia and NATO and a transit route for Russian gas heading to Europe.
    The opposition have called for a second round of voting.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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