Belarus' President Lukashenko extends rule after election rejected by opposition, EU

Belarus' authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko extended his much than 3 decades successful powerfulness successful an orchestrated play predetermination that the absorption and the European Union rejected arsenic a farce.

The Central Election Commission declared aboriginal Monday that Lukashenko won the predetermination with astir 87% of the ballot aft a run successful which 4 token challengers each praised his rule.

Members of the country's governmental opposition, galore of whom are imprisoned oregon exiled overseas by Lukashenko's unrelenting crackdown connected dissent and escaped speech, called the predetermination a sham — overmuch similar the past 1 successful 2020 that triggered months of protests that were unprecedented successful the past of the state of 9 cardinal people.

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Since then, much than 65,000 radical were arrested and thousands beaten, with the crackdown bringing condemnation and sanctions from the West.

The EU rejected Sunday's ballot arsenic illegitimate and threatened caller sanctions.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said the predetermination offered nary prime to voters, marking "a bitter time for each those who agelong for state and democracy."

"Instead of escaped and just elections and a beingness without fearfulness and arbitrariness, they acquisition regular oppression, repression and quality rights violations," she said successful a station connected X.

Lukashenko has been successful powerfulness since 1994 and has ruled the state with an robust fist. He has relied connected subsidies and governmental enactment from Russian President Vladimir Putin, himself successful bureau for a quarter-century, a narration that helped him past the 2020 protests.

Lukashenko allowed Moscow to usage the country’s territory to invade Ukraine successful 2022 and aboriginal hosted immoderate of Russia’s tactical atomic weapons.

Putin called Lukashenko connected Monday to congratulate him connected his "convincing victory." Chinese President Xi Jinping besides sent congratulations.

Some observers judge Lukashenko feared a repetition of those wide demonstrations amid economical troubles and the warring successful Ukraine, and truthful scheduled the ballot successful January, erstwhile fewer would privation to capable the streets again, alternatively than clasp it successful August.

Leading opponents person fled overseas oregon were thrown successful prison. Activists accidental the state holds astir 1,300 governmental prisoners, including Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski, laminitis of the Viasna Human Rights Center.

Since July, Lukashenko has pardoned much than 250 people. At the aforesaid time, authorities person sought to uproot dissent by arresting hundreds much successful raids targeting relatives and friends of governmental prisoners.

Opposition leader-in-exile Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who fled Belarus nether authorities unit aft challenging Lukashenko successful 2020, denounced the predetermination arsenic a "senseless farce" and urged voters to transverse disconnected everyone listed connected the ballot.