MINSK (AFX) - An exit poll close to Belarus' authorities gave President Alexander Lukashenko 81.1 pct of the vote in the presidential election.
Lakashenko, who has been in office since 1994, has vowed defiance in the face of Western pressure to reform his Soviet-style rule -- pressure that has risen with the enlargement of the European Union and NATO to Belarus' borders.
Thousands of people have rallied in the centre of Minsk in response to calls by the political opposition to protest against alleged vote-rigging in the election. newsdesk@afxnews.com afp/jsa COPYRIGHT Copyright AFX News Limited 2005. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of AFX News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of AFX News. AFX News and AFX Financial News Logo are registered trademarks of AFX News Limited