Head of the Belarus Central Election Commission, Lidiya Yermoshina, speaks at a news conference in Minsk

Head of the Belarus Central Election Commission, Lidiya Yermoshina, speaks at a news conference in Minsk September 24, 2012. Authorities in Belarus said they had a strong turnout in a parliamentary election on Sunday after hardline President Alexander Lukashenko denounced opposition leaders as “cowards” for urging people to boycott it as a sham exercise. REUTERS/Vasily Fedosenko (BELARUS – Tags: POLITICS ELECTIONS)