Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko was projected to win Sunday’s presidential election with nearly 88% of the vote, according to an exit poll. The result has been rejected by Western governments as a sham.
Lukashenko, who has been in power for 31 years, was a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin. He defended his jailing of dissidents, saying they had “chosen” their fate and that no one was prevented from speaking out in Belarus.
Opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who has been exiled, called the election a “ritual for dictators”. Demonstrations were held in several East European cities against Lukashenko’s re-election.
The EU and US said they did not acknowledge Lukashenko as a legitimate leader, citing his use of security forces to crush protests following the 2020 election. Human rights group Viasna estimates there are still 1,250 political prisoners in Belarus.
Lukashenko has freed more than 250 prisoners in the past year and claimed to be willing to talk to the European Union, but not to “bow before” it. The outcome of the election was never in doubt, but Lukashenko faces difficult choices in his next term, including navigating relations with Russia and the West as the conflict in Ukraine continues.
