An unauthorized rally by the Belarusian opposition in the country's capital Minsk is over, no protestors are in the street, a RIA Novosti correspondent reported.
There remain a lot of police in the streets, but the Interior Ministry has so far declined to comment on riots that followed Sunday's presidential election. The opposition said incumbent leader Alexander Lukashenko, who has ruled the country since 1994, rigged his reelection: exit polls show he won a landslide victory.
Earlier thousands of protestors tried to storm the government building, breaking windows and seizing batons from police, but were eventually dispersed.
According to some sources, a few journalists were detained and even beaten during the clampdown on the rally participants.
The Central Election Commission said the voter turnout was 90.4%. An exit poll by TNS gave Lukashenko over 72%; opposition candidates Andrei Sannikov and Vladimir Neklyayev received 6% each, while the remaining runners gained no more than 3.3%. Other exit polls gave Lukashenko from 79% to nearly 82%.
Neklyayev was reportedly beaten by police and hospitalized.
Demonstrators and police accused each other of triggering the clashes.
Opposition websites reported that four presidential candidates, namely Nikolai Statkevich, Sannikov, Grigory Kostusev and Vitaly Rymashevsky, were detained following the protests.
There were reports that some of the opposition members and police officers were injured.
Lukashenko, who has ruled the 10-million-strong country with an iron rod, has been dubbed "Europe's last dictator" by the United States.
MINSK, December 20 (RIA Novosti)
