President Alexander Lukashenko, the longtime Belarusian strongman and key ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, said he will run for another term in elections set to be held in 2025, Belarusian state news agency BelTA reported on Sunday.
Lukashenko made the announcement while speaking to journalists at a polling station after voting in parliamentary and local council elections.
When asked whether he planned to stand in the next presidential contest, he said: "I will."
Lukashenko has been in power since 1994. His regime has been repeatedly accused of human rights abuses and stifling political opposition. During the last election in 2020, the opposition alleged Lukashenko's regime engaged in electoral fraud to keep him in power.
Belarus has been an important partner to Russia since the Kremlin launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine two years ago, when Minsk allowed Moscow's troops to enter the country through the 1,000-kilometer (621-mile) Ukrainian-Belarusian border before launching its opening salvo.