Protests In Belarus After Opposition Barred From Ballot

Minsk, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 14th Jul, 2020 ) :Hundreds of people rallied in Belarus and more than 30 were detained Tuesday after the main rivals to President Alexander Lukashenko were not allowed to contest a presidential election in August.

Hundreds of protesters took to the streets of the capital Minsk, walking peacefully and clapping as passing drivers honked their horns in support.

Protest rallies also took place in a number of provincial cities including Brest and Gomel.

Human rights group Viasna said more than 35 people including several journalists were detained.

Earlier Tuesday the central electoral commission rejected two major opposition candidates, Viktor Babaryko and Valery Tsepkalo.

Officials cited alleged violations including incorrectly filled-out income declarations and a failure to gather signatures.

Lukashenko, a former collective farm chief, has been president for 26 years and will seek his sixth term in the August 9 election. He will stand against four candidates including a woman opposition activist.

The poll is going ahead despite more than 65,000 confirmed coronavirus cases in the ex-Soviet country of nine million people. Lukashenko has refused to impose a strict lockdown.

Belarus has seen a turbulent summer of protests and arrests of would-be opposition candidates, with the jailed Babaryko seen as the strongest potential challenger to Lukashenko.