Belarus commission approves Lukashenko’s 7th term bid but rejects opposition candidates

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — The national elections commission in Belarus has registered an initiative group for authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko to seek a seventh term in office, but rejected the attempts of two opposition politicians to get on the ballot. The election, scheduled for Jan. 26, would come 4 1/2 years after the 2020 vote that sparked massive nationwide protests and led to a harsh crackdown on opposition that continues. Major opposition figures were either imprisoned or fled the country in the crackdown, in which some 65,000 people were arrested. Since coming to power in 1994, Lukashenko has persistently suppressed opposition and independent news media.