Belarusians head to the polls Sunday to elect members to the ex-Soviet republic's rubber-stamp parliament.

The elections are being closely watched by the West to see how much President Alexander Lukashenko will loosen his iron-fisted grip on power.

Often dubbed "Europe's last dictatorship," the nation of 10 million has been ruled by Lukashenko for 25 years.

But the 65-year-old president has sought to build better relations with the United States and European Union in recent years as he seeks to balance ties with neighbor Russia.