On December 19, Minsk /BelTA/. Presidential elections in Belarus commenced today, December 19. Polling stations opened at 8:00 AM and will remain open without interruption until 8:00 PM, as reported to BelTA by the Central Election Commission for Elections and National Referendums. Citizens of Belarus can cast their vote for one of the ten presidential candidates at one of the 6,390 polling stations, including 44 abroad. According to the Central Election Commission, over 7,094,000 people are eligible to vote. To receive a ballot paper, voters must present a passport. This can be replaced by a military ID (for conscripts), a civil servant's identification card, a pension certificate, or a student ID (if it contains a photograph), or a certificate from law enforcement agencies (for citizens who have lost their passport), provided the bearer is listed on the voter rolls at that polling station. Those who, for any reason, are not on the lists will be added based on documents certifying their identity and confirming their permanent or temporary residence in that electoral district. The surnames of the registered presidential candidates are listed in alphabetical order on each ballot paper. For each candidate, their date of birth, profession, position, occupation, place of work and residence, as well as party affiliation, are indicated. To the right of each candidate's details, an empty square is provided. At the end of the list of candidates, there is a line – "against all candidates". The Central Election Commission reminded voters that they must fill out the ballot paper themselves. If, due to health reasons, they are unable to do so, they have the right to entrust this task to another person, excluding election commission members, presidential candidates, their proxies, observers, and media representatives. If a voter cannot visit the polling station for a valid reason, they have the right to request the precinct commission to arrange voting at their place of residence, but no later than 2 hours before the close of voting, i.e., by 6:00 PM. The presidential elections will be deemed valid if the number of voters who cast their ballots exceeds 50% of the total voter list. The winner will be the candidate who receives more than half of the votes from those who participated in the election. -0-

BELTA