Alexander Lukashenko wins seventh straight term in ‘sham’ Belarus election
Initial results were released by the Central Election Commission on Monday, and Lukashenko, one of his four opponents, praised his 30-year rule and said he was loyal to him.
“You can congratulate the Republic of Belarus, we have elected a president”, Igor Karpenko, head of the commission, told a news conference.
Election officials said turnout in Sunday’s vote was 85.7 percent, with about 6.9 million people eligible to vote.
Since 1994, the Belarusian leader has won every presidential election in polls that his rivals, Western powers, and human rights organizations have vilified as “shams.”
“Convincing victory”
But Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Lukashenko, saying the election showed he had the “undoubted” backing of the people.
According to a statement from the Kremlin, Putin said, “Your convincing victory in the election clearly demonstrates your high political authority and the unwavering support of the populace for the state policy Belarus is pursued.”
On Russian soil, you are always a warm and dear visitor. As agreed, I look forward to seeing you soon in Moscow”.
Russian tactical nuclear weapons are now being used in Belarus as a result of the conflict in Ukraine, which has strained Lukashenko more than ever with Putin.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping also congratulated Lukashenko, Beijing’s state media reported.
According to the state news agency Xinhua, “Xi Jinping congratulated Lukashenko on his re-election as president of Belarus.”
‘ No choice ‘
Due to the country’s strict laws governing independent media and the forced expulsion of all leading opposition figures, other politicians, especially those in Europe, claimed the election was neither free nor fair.
“The people of Belarus had no choice. All those who long for freedom and democracy will suffer in bitterness, according to German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, who posted on X.
More than 1,200 Belarusis are still unharmed despite having the guts to say so.
The country’s last presidential election in 2020 ended with nationwide protests, unprecedented in the history of the country of nine million people. Lukashenko was charged with rigging the election by the opposition and Western countries, and sanctions were imposed.
In response, his government launched a sweeping crackdown, leaving more than 1, 000 people imprisoned, including Nobel Peace Prize winner Ales Bialiatski, founder of the Viasna Human Rights Centre.
Lukashenko claimed at a press conference on Sunday that their fate had been decided by them.
“Some chose prison, some chose exile, as you say. In a rambling news conference that lasted more than four hours, he said, “We didn’t kick anyone out of the country.”
Source: Aljazeera
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