Belarus election: Clashes after poll predicts Lukashenko re-election

Protesters and riot police have clashed in Belarus' capital Minsk and other cities, after a state TV exit poll said long-time leader Alexander Lukashenko was re-elected in Sunday's election.

In Minsk, the police used stun grenades to disperse crowds in the city centre. There have been reports of injuries.

The state TV exit poll showed that Lukashenko won nearly 80% of the vote.

Main opposition candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya said she did not trust the figures which gave her 7%.

"I believe my eyes, and I see that the majority is with us," she said at a news conference on Sunday evening.

The opposition had said it expected the vote to be rigged, saying it would keep an alternative count of the votes.

Tikhanovskaya, 37, entered the election in place of her jailed husband and went on to lead large opposition rallies.

Lukashenko, in power since 1994, has vowed that the situation in the country will remain "under control".