MINSK, Belarus (AP) — Belarusia’s authoritarian president has dismissed his Cabinet two months before a scheduled presidential election.

President Alexander Lukashenko is seeking a sixth term in the August 9 election he is almost sure to win. He said Wednesday that most Cabinet ministers would retain their positions in the new government he plans to name before the vote.

Lukashenko has suppressed opposition and independent media since becoming president in 1994. He has faced little real opposition in the elections since then.