No opposition member elected in Belarus, officials say
Minsk/Moscow - No opposition member won a seat in Belarus parliamentary elections, the country's election commission said Monday.
The opposition had expressed fears earlier that the polls would be fixed by the Belarusian leadership.
According to the Russian Itar-Tass news agency, 100 of 110 districts were counted. Turnout was at 75.3 per cent to vote for the 263 candidates competing for the 110 seats in the Belarus parliament.
Ahead of the elections, authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko stressed his interest in closer ties with the west, saying the polls wold be fair and democratic.
"It will be very difficult for anyone to criticize this election as unfair," Lukashenko said after casting his vote in Minsk.
Opponents of the regime had previously complained of manipulation of the polls. Despite bans on rallies several hundred opposition members gathered in the city centre of Minsk to protest against the alleged fraud. (dpa)
