MINSK, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- The Belarusian central elections commission registered five candidates for president on Monday.
The Central Elections Commission registered the incumbent Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko, chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party of Belarus Oleg Gaidukevich, chairman of the Republican Party of Labor and Justice Alexander Khizhnyak, individual entrepreneur Anna Kanopatskaya, and first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Belarus Sergei Syrankov.
The candidates were announced following verification of the authenticity of the signatures collected in support of the candidates and confirming their exact number.
Lukashenko's candidacy has collected more than 2.5 million signatures in support, while the remaining candidates have collected a little over 100,000 each, the commission said.
Igor Karpenko, chairman of the commission, said that 93 international observers have been accredited to monitor the presidential elections, and 951 national observers have been accredited with territorial commissions.
Starting from Jan. 1, 2025, the electoral process will move into the pre-election campaigning stage. The presidential election will take place on Jan. 26, 2025. ■
