Presidential vote in Belarus throws the country into the flames of civil war

The people of Belarus suffered a trauma as a result of the presidential election, similarly to the trauma that a society suffers as a result of a civil war, Belarusian publicist Valery Karbalevich believes. Post-election protests in Belarus sparked in 33 cities According to preliminary results of Sunday's presidential election in Belarus, sitting President Alexander Lukashenko received 80.2 percent of the vote, while his main rival, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, received 9.9 percent, the Central Electoral Committee of Belarus reported on Monday.None of the other candidates scored even ецщ percent. The turnout was 84.2 percent. As many as 6.02 percent voted against all candidates. Many Belarusians, disagreeing with the announced figures, took to the streets. Protesters erected barricades in the streets of Minsk. Law-enforcers used rubber bullets, water cannons and noise grenades against the protesters. The protests in the capital subsided at around 2 a.m.Spokespeople for security services of Belarus confirmed the use of "special measures" against the protesters in Minsk. "Law enforcement officers were forced to take special measures against the participants in the riots. Special equipment and flash-noise grenades were used," press secretary of the Interior Ministry of Belarus, Olga Chemodanova said.