Belarusian polling stations opened Tuesday for early voters eager to cast their ballots for Sunday`s presidential vote, a closely watched election that the opposition fears will be rigged in favor of the authoritarian incumbent.

After pushing through a widely contested referendum scrapping presidential term limits, Alexander Lukashenko, branded by Western nations as "Europe`s last dictator," is seeking a third term as president of the ex-Soviet republic. He is widely expected to win.

Opposition leaders have called for peaceful protests if votes are counted fraudulently, but authorities` ban on any rallies on Sunday has potentially set the stage for violent confrontation.

The main opposition candidate, Alexander Milinkevich, has called on Belarusians not to take part in the early voting, calling it a ploy by authorities aimed at falsifying election results.

The opposition contends that early voting allows for ballot-stuffing at unguarded and unmonitored polling stations, and multiple voting.

A university student who identified himself only by his first name, Andrei, out of fear of retribution, said students had been warned "that if we don`t vote early, there could be problems."

He said he had voted for "a free and European future" but declined to say which candidate he supported.

Others said they had voted early for convenience.

"I did not come because we`re forced, but because I`m going home to my parents` home in the country on election day," said Oksana Rublyako, a third-year university student.

Milinkevich told The Associated Press that he had urged Belarusians not to take part in early voting "because there your votes will simply be stolen."

According to official statistics, as many as 30 percent of voters usually take part in early balloting and the opposition fears those ballots could be manipulated. Opposition parties have been denied of virtually any representation on election commissions that monitor the vote.

There are some 7 million eligible voters in this nation of 10 million, according to Nikolai Lozovik, secretary of the Central Election Commission.

In addition to Milinkevich, Lukashenko is facing another opposition challenger and a pro-Lukashenko politician who is widely viewed as running to add legitimacy to the election.

Lukashenko has ruled with an iron fist since 1994, quashing dissent and opposition and maintaining his grip on power through votes dismissed as illegitimate by his critics.

Several thousands of Belarusians have come today to the Ice Palace in Prytytskaga Street to the meeting with united democratic forces candidate Alyaxandr Milinkevich. According to witnesses, the police had blocked the way to the Palace, so many people didn’t manage to come. The voters were keeping portraits of Mr. Milinkevich, transparencies “Freedom! Truth! Justice!”, posters “Milinkevich - New President”, national white-red-white flags. Many people had jeans or blue tissues tied on their clothes. A. Milinkevich’s statements were met with applauses. The people were scanning “Milinkevich!”, “Freedom!”, “Down with Lukashenka!”. “I can feel immense emotional tension in the society. So much energy in the people, so much aspiration for freedom and changes! I can see so much faith in their eyes that it makes me realize: I will struggle for that people with all my might. Till the Victory! This has never happened in Belarus before: the wave of freedom is embracing the whole country, from the tiny town of Draginichy to the capital. And Belarus will become free. We will come out to the Kastrychnitskaya Square at 8 p.m. on March 19, and we will protect our desire for freedom and changes”, - Alyaxandr Milinkevich told the Charter’97 press center after the meeting with voters.

The meeting by the Ice Palace took more than one hour. The democratic candidate and his proxy Stanislau Shushkevich made speeches. The audience didn’t let A. Milinkevich leave for a long time - posing questions on the political situation in the country, candidate’s program, future reforms and relations with Europe and Russia.

Numerous police officers “in muftis” attended the meeting. Several buses brought BRYU activists, but hardly had they unfolded their pro-dictator slogans and red-green flags, when the people attempted to kick them out. Still, they were guarded by the police.

It is reported that 20 Ukrainians who came to support the Belarusian people and raised Ukrainian flags were detained after the meeting held near the Ice Palace. Ukrainian People’s Party members, Ukrainian Students’ Brotherhood activists and the operating group of the Ukrainian TV “5th channel” were deterred. The details are specified.

Today the democratic candidate has held three meetings with voters of Minsk that were visited by thousands of Minsk dwellers.