Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko pardoned 15 prisoners on Friday in what state media called a humanitarian gesture, two days before an election in which he is set to further extend his 31-year rule.

Lukashenko, who has ruled the country since 1994, moved the election from August to January, reducing the likelihood of mass protests in freezing weather.

With many of his political opponents either jailed or exiled abroad, the 70-year-old Lukashenko is back on the ballot, and when the election concludes on Sunday, he is all but certain to add a seventh term as the only leader most people in post-Soviet Belarus have ever known.

Belarus' upcoming election, advanced from 2025, sees Alexander Lukashenko poised for a seventh term amidst a harsh suppression of dissent since 2020. Relying heavily on Russian support and hosting Russian tactical nuclear weapons,

Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko has pardoned another 15 prisoners shortly before the country's presidential election this weekend, state media reported on Friday. The state news agency BelTa reported that the released prisoners include eight who are serving sentences for extremism,

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, regarding the presidential election scheduled for January 26 in Belarus, noted that Ukraine sees no prerequisites

Belarus is set for a presidential election on Sunday, with five candidates on the ballot but no real contest. Alexander Lukashenko, in power since 1994, is expected to secure another five-year term, a result the