Lukashenko leads in Belarus presidential race with 80 pct of votes: exit polls

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko received more than 80 percent of the votes in the Sunday's presidential election, according to exit polls conducted by pollsters and non-profit organizations.

Other presidential candidates received fewer than 6 percent of votes each, the polls said.

The Central Elections Commission reported voter turnout at nearly 82 percent two hours prior to the closing of the polls at 8 p.m. local time.

Belarus, with its 7 million voters, started on Sunday the fifth presidential election in 21 years since it gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.

The polling stations opened at 8:00 am local time (0600 GMT), and will remain open for 12 hours. The electoral register comprises over 6.9 million voters, including more than 5,700 outside the country.

The results of the election will be announced by the Central Election Commission not later than 10 days after the voting is held. Endit