Longtime Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko won a “sham” presidential election on Sunday with 87.6 percent of vote, according to an official exit poll, marking his seventh term as leader of the Eastern European country.
Four opposition candidates appeared on the ballot — but all were loyal to Lukashenko, who has led Belarus for more than 30 years.
“There is no alternative to Alexander Lukashenko as the leader of our country,” one of the theoretical candidates, Communist Party leader Sergei Syrankov, told the BBC ahead of the vote. “So, we are taking part in the election with the president’s team.”
Neither the EU, the UK nor the US recognise Lukashenko’s government as legitimate. Fraudulent presidential elections in 2020 ignited mass protests that almost led to Lukashenko’s downfall prior to a brutal crackdown to suppress protesters and opponents, backed by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“Lukashenko has clung to power for 30 years. Tomorrow, he’ll reappoint himself in yet another sham election,” EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on the eve of the vote on X.
Exiled Belarus opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya protested the election from the Polish capital Warsaw on Sunday.“Today, we marched for freedom in Warsaw — united and unshaken, honouring our heroes who gave their lives for freedom,” she posted on X, alongside photos from the demonstrations.“Together, we are unstoppable,” she said.
The European Parliament also denounced the Belarus election as a “sham”. (Agencies)
