Sawt Falasteen - Belarus to hold presidential vote on January 26

Belarus, a key ally of Russia, has been ruled since 1994 by strongman President Alexander Lukashenko, who has eliminated all forms of opposition and jailed hundreds of critics and protesters.

The election commission said in a statement on social media that parliament had approved the date of the vote, which the opposition said would be a "sham".

Critics accuse Lukashenko of violating human rights and jailing dissenters during his three-decade rule, which has grown increasingly authoritarian.

Lukashenko confirmed he planned to stand in the vote, a contest in which he will face no real opposition.

"Yes, I will," he told a Russian state TV reporter on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Kazan when asked if he would run.

The 2020 vote was marred by allegations of fraud, triggering weeks of protests on the streets of the capital Minsk and across the country.

Thousands were arrested or fled abroad in the face of a brutal crackdown by security services and riot police.

- 'Atmosphere of terror' -

Lukashenko's 2020 challenger, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, claimed victory but was also forced to leave the country.

Tikhanovskaya on Wednesday dismissed the upcoming vote as a "sham with no real electoral process, conducted in an atmosphere of terror".

"No alternative candidates or observers will be allowed. We call on Belarusians and the international community to reject this farce," she said on X.

Tikhanovskaya's husband, a prominent opposition figure, is still in prison after being jailed ahead of the 2020 vote when he announced he planned to stand against Lukashenko.

Belarus has around 1,300 political prisoners, according to the Viasna human rights group.

Rights groups say the state's repressive tactics have intensified.

Lukashenko in February 2022 allowed Russia's army to launch its military offensive on Ukraine from Belarusian territory.

Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov said on Wednesday that planned joint military drills with Belarus in 2025 would take into account "the current situation" in Ukraine.

The West has sanctioned Belarus over what the US Treasury Department called "the regime's blatantly corrupt, destabilising and anti-democratic acts", including its support for Russia.

E.Qaddoumi--SF-PST