Tsikhanouskaya’s statements came after her meeting with Seimas Speaker Saulius Skvernelis on Tuesday.

"What will happen in Belarus at the end of January has nothing to do with elections. It is impossible to hold fair elections in a country where all the media are liquidated, all the parties are liquidated and political leaders are in prison or abroad," she told reporters at the Seimas, adding that it will merely be a ritual for Lukashenko.

Tsikhanouskaya also said she expects that the Seimas will pass a resolution saying that Lithuania does not recognise the "so-called election".

Seimas Speaker Skvernelis said political steps can be taken before the election takes place.

"We do not have to wait for the farce to happen to make any political decisions, as we can just assume in advance that it has nothing in common with elections. Apparently, the situation is that Lukashenko has decided to legitimise himself in this post for another five years – we just do not know yet what percentage of the vote will decide that," he said.

The Belarusian presidential election will take place on 26 January. The incumbent authoritarian President Lukashenko, aged 70, is not expected to lose the job.

Lukashenko, who has been called Europe’s last dictator, is a staunch supporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

Lukashenko’s re-election for a sixth term in 2020 led to unprecedented protests across Belarus. The opposition and the West accused him of rigging the elections and taking victory away from his contender Tsikhanouskaya.

Several thousand people had been imprisoned since the start of the Putin-backed campaign against protesters and opponents.

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