A young protester named Alexander said opposition supporters would gather again on March 25.
Sergei, another young man on the square, said many of those who had wanted to come had been arrested.
"When 15 of us were walking [to the square], three of us were detained by the police, searched and sent to police precincts when they found armbands," he said.
The opposition and human rights groups said earlier Tuesday that about 100 demonstrators had been arrested in Minsk during the last three days of protest against the presidential election results, the largest of which occurred on Sunday, election day, when thousands of people gathered to back opposition candidate Alexander Milintskevich.
The authorities have neither confirmed nor denied the arrests.
Official reports indicate that incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko won re-election securing 82.6% of the vote, and Milinkevich garnered 6%.
The opposition insists the results are flawed and is calling for an election re-run.
The United States and the OSCE, Europe's main monitoring organization, said they did not recognize the election as valid, saying it had failed to meet accepted democratic standards, although neighboring Russia said the elections were fair.
The central square is now completely dark as electricity has been switched off. The microphone and loud speakers are not working. Almost all of the nearby cafes have closed, and cars are being inspected. Police are stopping young people carrying rucksacks to search them for tents, warm clothes, and alcohol.
The public has not responded enthusiastically to the protests. Many of those interviewed by the correspondent were either surprised or shocked that police were taking a hands-off approach to what was going on in the capital.
