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ews sport j2 money culture scene video subscription AUTHORITY AGAINST THE PEOPLE The bloodiest conflicts in the country's history: Hundreds wounded and 3,000 arrested in Belarus Polls did not give Lukashenko more than 10 per cent, but he won 80.23 per cent of the vote Writes: Karla JuničićPosted: August 10, 2020 3:16 pm The capital of Belarus is Minsk The capital of Belarus is Minsk Siarhei Leskiec, Sergei Gapon / afp Facebook Twitter Messenger E-mail RELATED NEWS Alexander Lukashenko EUROPE CONCERNED Belarusian opposition refuses to acknowledge Lukashenko's victory, Poland seeks special EU summit GRANDMA ON THE LADDER Did Lukashenko win like this? A video leaked showing alleged election fraud Several people were injured, and about 3,000 protesters were arrested during protests in several Belarusian cities following the announcement of preliminary data from the state election commission. At least that is what Olga Chamandanava, a spokeswoman for the Belarusian Foreign Ministry, said . The spokeswoman also told Radio Free Europe that "there are no deaths", although the internet was already surrounded by footage and news of a police van that ran over and killed one of the protesters. And that no combat weapons were used against the protesters. image Protest after polls close Sergei GAPON / AFP But according to independent reports, over a hundred people were injured in clashes between police and protesters. Police in riot gear stormed a rally on Friday, removing hundreds of protesters by truck, using tear gas and water cannons. The photos showed protesters beaten with bloody faces taking ambulances through the streets. The AP wrote that their photojournalist was taken to hospital after he lost consciousness because he was beaten by police. Protests burned in 33 cities including Vitebsk and Gomel. The state-run Belta news agency reported that the police were "controlling the situation at illicit mass events". What Belarus experienced on Sunday night was the bloodiest public conflict with government forces in the country's history. And that was the biggest conflict in the 26 years of President Alexander Lukashenko's rule , popularly known as "Europe's last dictator." image Svetlana Tikhanovskaya Sergei GAPON / AFP Lukashenko does not hold the title for no reason, as these presidential elections have only established his power despite the country’s great dissatisfaction and desire for change. The new hope of Belarusian politics was represented by the politician Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who sharply opposed the authoritarian leader in the campaign. At its rallies, it gathered more people than any candidate since the time of the Soviet Union. Although some independent preliminary polls have shown that Tihanovskaya could win a majority of votes, for example, she was credited with 71 per cent versus Lukashenko's 10 per cent, the situation was the opposite at Sunday's polls. Crackdown in Minsk via @franakviacorka pic.twitter.com/IuTEpqRmnn - Jacek Saryusz-Wolski (@JSaryuszWolski) August 9, 2020 The state election commission announced on Monday that according to the first results, Lukashenko won 80.23 percent of the vote, and his opponent 9.9 percent. image Counting of votes in the elections in Belarus Siarhei LESKIEC / AFP Tikhanovskaya, 37, an English teacher, joined the campaign in place of her popular husband, Sergei Tikhanovsky, who was arrested by authorities for mobilizing anti-government protesters. During their protests, they held slippers and shouted "let's step on the cockroach", calling for the overthrow of Lukashenko. Tikhanovskaya continued in his footsteps and knew that the fight would not be easy. She sent her children abroad because she said their lives were in danger. The election campaign was marked by arrests and detentions of opposition politicians and activists. Tihanovskaya herself took refuge on Saturday after nine people involved in her campaign were arrested. She appeared Sunday in a vote under the protection of her employees. Addressing the media on Monday, she refused to admit defeat. #Belarus water canons, rubber bullets and stun grenades against regular people in #Minsk pic.twitter.com/pB2ahb8BV9 - Alex Dudko (@_adudko_) August 9, 2020 "I will believe with my own eyes - most of them were for us," Tikhanovskaya said. During mass protests on Sunday, she called on police to stop the violence. image Protest after polls close Siarhei LESKIEC / AFP Election day was overshadowed by tension. Large columns of people formed at the polling stations and waited for several hours to vote. Worked streets patrolled the streets, and police guarded polling stations. A record number of early votes is a likely sign that ballots were pre-filled, election observers say. The media is leaking more and more reports of possible election fraud, including that polling stations closed before all voters arrived, that some voted before they opened, or that they ran out of ballots because they filled out the number of registered voters in advance. voters. A video has surfaced from the polling station showing a member of the election commission descending a ladder from the second floor carrying a bag believed to contain ballots. Nexta: Plot №17 of the Soviet district of Minsk (school №66). For some reason, the members of the commission go up the stairs from the second floor window with packages in which there is something similar to a box. Or on packs of paper. And all this under the close supervision of the police pic.twitter.com/iX7sQUoixn - Totze (@zagibaigvozdi) August 9, 2020 Local journalists reported problems with Twitter, Viber, WhatsApp and websites linked to opposition parties and voting monitoring platforms. Netblocks, a civil society group, said the internet connection was "significantly disrupted in Belarus amid the presidential election". Users said it is sometimes impossible to even post photos on social media. image Protest after polls close Sergei GAPON / AFP Although the country is sinking into a crisis caused by the economic downturn, and now by the coronavirus crisis, Lukashenko, who has been in power since 1996, sees no reason "for the country to sink into chaos ... or some civil war," he said. voice on Sunday. He called the reports of repression in the country fake news. He recently claimed that he cured his asymptomatic Covid-19 "standing up", and during the crisis, while refusing to lockdown Belarus, he told everyone that the real cure for the virus was "vodka, sauna or work in the countryside". Although he sees himself as a guarantor of stability in the country and claims that opposition protesters are in collusion with foreign forces and want to destabilize the country, Western activists are constantly warning of a huge drop in the level of human rights. Lukashenko's victory was quickly backed by Vladimir Putin of Russia and Xi Jinping of China. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky in his statement decided to remain reticent.