Belarus' central election committee reported high turnout in presidential elections on Sunday which incumbent Alexander Lukashenko is tipped to win.
By 2 pm (1100 GMT), 57 percent of the voters in Belarus had cast their ballots, committee secretary Nikolai Lozovik told Belarus television.
The election was considered validated when turnout rose above 50 percent, the committee said.
Earlier, committee chairwoman Lidia Ermochina said the number of voters who cast their ballots in advance had also been high, at 14.3 percent.
Belarus' system of advance voting, which allows people to cast ballots during the five days running up to the poll, has been heavily criticised by election observers from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), who say it is an open invitation to fraud.
Citizens can vote in advance without having to justify their reasons.
The opposition complained of electors being pressurised into voting in advance, with their salaries withheld until they did so -- MINSK (AFP)
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