Belarus’ authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko is all but certain to extend his more than three decades in power in Sunday’s election that is rejected by the opposition as a farce after years of sweeping repressions.

Belarusians voted on Sunday in an election that was set to hand another five years in power to President Alexander Lukashenko, a close ally of Russia's Vladimir Putin.

At 8 AM in Belarus, the main day of voting organized by the regime began, where Alexander Lukashenko, who has been in power for 31 years, aims for his seventh term in office. The opposition calls this voting "no-choice elections" due to the absence of real opponents and any chance for a democratic process.

President Alexander Lukashenko’s opponents are imprisoned or exiled abroad by his unrelenting crackdown on dissent and free speech.