MINSK, August 9. /TASS/. The voter turnout at Sunday’s presidential polls in Belarus reached 73.4% as of 16:00 local time, deputy chairman of the Central Election Commission (CEC) Vadim Ipatov said.

According to Ipatov, the voter turnout was 75.11% in the Brest region, 75.05% in the Vitebsk region, 81.87% in the Gomel region, 75.66% in the Grodno region, 72.3% in the Minsk region, 80.29% in the Mogilev region, and 58.73% in the capital city Minsk.

The voter turnout exceeded 50% by 12:00 local time and the elections were declared valid.

On Sunday, Belarus is holding its sixth presidential election since declaring independence in 1991. The incumbent head of state, Alexander Lukashenko, 65, is seeking his sixth term in office. Other candidates are co-leader of the Govori Pravdu (Tell the Truth) public movement Andrei Dmitriyev, former member of the lower parliament house Anna Kanopatskaya, housewife Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, and leader of the Belarusian Social Democratic Gramada Sergei Cherchen.