Anti and pro-government demonstrations held in Minsk

Hundreds of people gathered in Belarus's capital on Thursday to support the country's leader President Alexander Lukashenko amid continuing protests against his re-election.

Lukashenko's supporters drove through the city centre with flags coloured in red and green, the official symbol of the country since Lukashenko's election almost 26 years ago.

"We decided to drive (through the city) to show that we (Lukashenko's supporters) are majority and we stand for our nation, said demonstration organiser Nikolay Zarubinsky.

He claimed that participants of the demonstration attended of their own volition and they were not paid, which demonstrators at pro-government rallies are often accused of.

While supporters of current President were singing "Sasha will stay with us", protesters also waved red and white flags demanding his resignation.

Despite Thursday's pro-government demonstrations, post-election protests against Belarus' President continued in Minsk and other cities for the 12th day in a row.

About 1,000 protesters rallied on Minsk' central Independence Square, chanting "Go away!" to demand that the country's leader leave office.

During the first four days of protests, police detained almost 7,000 people and injured hundreds with rubber bullets, stun grenades and club, leading to the deaths of at least three protests.

The crackdown fueled massive outrage and swelled protesters' ranks, forcing authorities to change tactics and attempt to stop breaking up crowds that grew to an unprecedented 200,000 on Sunday.