Large protests broke out in Belarus soon after the polls closed in the country’s contested presidential election. Alexander Lukashenko, who has ruled for 26 years, claimed he had won a landslide victory. Crowds of thousands gathered to contest the claim but were met with rubber bullets, water cannon, flash grenades, and teargas from security forces. The main opposition candidate, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, came under heavy pressure as eight members of her staff were arrested, and one of her top aides fled the country

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Belarus election: Lukashenko's claim of landslide victory sparks widespread protests ► https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/aug/09/belarus-election-lukashenko-landslide-victory-fixing-claims

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