Presidential election kicks off in Belarus

MINSK -- The presidential election kicked off in Belarus on Sunday with polling stations opening at 8:00 am (0500 GMT) and closing at 8 pm (1700 GMT).

Five candidates, including incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko, have been registered for the presidential election.

Voters will cast their ballots at 5,325 polling stations nationwide and the number of voters stands at about 6.9 million, according to the country's Central Election Commission.

Elections are considered valid if more than half of the citizens included in the voter list cast their ballots. The head of state is considered elected if a candidate is supported by more than half of the voters who took part in the voting.

Early voting for the country's presidential election took place from Jan 21 to 25. The Central Election Commission said Saturday that 41.81 percent of eligible voters have cast their ballots during the five-day early voting session, which is organized for those unable to vote on the election day.