TALLINN, Estonia, Nov 5, (AP): Belarus' election commission on Monday allowed seven politicians loyal to President Alexander Lukashenko to start collecting signatures to run against him in January's election, in an apparent bid to create a semblance of competition to the longtime authoritarian ruler. Lukashenko, who has ruled the country for more than 30 years, is seeking a seventh term following a relentless crackdown on the opposition and free media.

The election, scheduled for Jan. 26, would come 4 1/2 years after the 2020 presidential vote that was rejected by the opposition and the West as rigged with fraud and triggered massive nationwide protests. Belarusian authorities responded to the demonstrations with a sweeping crackdown on dissent, resulting in about 65,000 people arrested.

Major opposition figures were either imprisoned or fled the country in the crackdown. Human rights activists say Belarus now holds about 1,300 political prisoners and that many of them are denied adequate medical care and contact with their families. Lukashenko has relied on subsidies and political support from his main ally, Russia, to survive the protests.

He allowed Moscow to use Belarusian territory to send troops into Ukraine in February 2022. Last week, Belarus' Central Election Commission registered an initiative group for Lukashenko to prepare for the race. On Monday, it also permitted seven politicians to begin collecting signatures to be able to run, including Sergei Syrankov of the Communist Party, Oleg Gaidukevich, the leader of the Liberal Democratic Party, and former Interior Ministry spokeswoman Olga Chеmоdanova.