The pro-Lukashenko rally took place near the Kamarouski market. It started at 7:00 p.m. (16:00 GMT) and lasted an hour and a half. According to the Belarus Interior Ministry, about 17,000 people, many of whom were carrying national flags and participated in the rally despite the rain.
"There were no more than 4,800 people at protests that took place in different regions. The largest number of the protesters was seen in Minsk, Brest and Molodechno," the ministry said.
Over the weekend, more than 100,000 protesters had convened in the capital for the second Sunday in a row demanding the president's ouster and smaller demonstrations were reported in provincial cities, according to opposition-leaning media.
Loudspeakers broadcast patriotic songs. People’s artists of Belarus, who performed songs during the rally, and ordinary demonstrators addressed the crowd, speaking up on the latest developments.
The rally ended with the crowd singing the national anthem. At that moment, the facade of the market building lit up in the colours of the national flag. No police reinforcements were seen in the area.
Mass protests broke out in Belarus after the August 9 election; incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko announced that he'd won his sixth term, with 80.1 percent of the vote. The country's opposition refused to recognise the results, claiming that the election was rigged.
