The Central Election Commission of Belarus reported a record voter turnout on the first day of the presidential elections.

The current official turnout on the first day surpassed the figures from previous electoral campaigns in the country. However, the expert mission of the "Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections" campaign, referenced by the Belarusian service of RS, pointed out the initial signs of legal violations, including unfair campaigning and breaches of the secrecy of the ballot.

Early voting will continue until January 25, with January 26 being the
main election day. Authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko has held the presidency of Belarus since 1994 and is vying for his seventh consecutive term. Throughout the signature collection and media appearances, none of the candidates criticized Lukashenko or suggested electing a new individual for the head of state position. The Central Election Commission has registered five individuals as presidential candidates.

At the same time, there are no officially registered opposition parties or independent civic organizations left in Belarus.

The Russian Ambassador to Belarus, Boris Gryzlov, stated before the current elections that Russia would assist Minsk in the event of "attempts at destabilization" during the voting if such assistance were requested.

The democratic forces of Belarus, including the office of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya and the Coordination Council of the opposition, issued a joint statement emphasizing that the current electoral campaign is taking place amidst a deep political crisis, and Alexander Lukashenko is unlawfully holding onto power through repression against the Belarusian people and society.

• The previous presidential election on August 9, 2010, ended with mass protests, the largest in the history of independent Belarus. Claiming widespread falsifications in favor of Lukashenko, participants insisted that the majority actually supported the opposition candidate Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya. The authorities suppressed the protests, leading to ongoing repression.
• Currently, there are over 1,000 political prisoners in Belarus, and many opposition leaders have fled the country. Legal activities of the opposition are virtually impossible. Consequently, the democratic opposition forces have repeatedly declared that the presidential elections in Belarus in 2025 will not be free, and the international community should not recognize them.