19 December, Vitebsk / Diana Kurilo - BELTA/. 93.1% of voters in the Vitebsk region participated in the elections, Svetlana Stankevich, Secretary of the Vitebsk Regional Commission for the Election of the President, informed a BELTA correspondent. More than 835,000 voters visited polling stations. The elections were declared valid throughout the region. Currently, precinct commissions have opened ballot boxes and begun counting ballots. Meanwhile, at closed polling stations in the region, the vote count has already been completed: 91.5% of voters cast their votes for Alexander Lukashenko, the next contender received only 1.47%, and the rest received less than 1%. Each polling station has between 6 and 15 observers. A total of over 4,700 observers and 120 deputies of various levels of councils have been registered in the region. About a hundred observers are working in territorial commissions. During the work of the regional commission, over 50 calls were received by the "hotline". Almost all of them were of an informational nature and concerned the location of polling stations and the procedure for voting at home. The commission received several complaints from local observers. All of them were considered and, according to Svetlana Stankevich, were of a formal nature. For example, one observer complained that he was not allowed to photograph the wax seal on the ballot box for a second time, claiming that the first photo was unsuccessful. According to the Department of Internal Affairs, a calm situation is maintained on the streets and squares of the regional centre, and other cities and towns of the region. As of 8:00 PM, only 11 crimes and offences were recorded, while on ordinary days their number fluctuates around 40. No unauthorised mass events were registered.-0-

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