Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, who has been in power since 1994, has secured a seventh consecutive term in an election condemned by the European Union and the exiled opposition.
With his adversaries imprisoned or forced into exile, the 70-year-old leader reportedly garnered 87.6 percent of the vote based on an official exit poll. Since widespread protests erupted in 2020, Lukashenko has conducted a severe crackdown on dissent, and this time, the candidates chosen to oppose him ran campaigns supporting his leadership.
Prior to the election, both the US and the European Union labeled it a sham, citing the ban on independent media in Belarus and the imprisonment or exile of all major opposition figures.
When questioned about the imprisonment of his opponents, Mr. Lukashenko asserted they were responsible for their own situations.
Members of the Belarusian diaspora carry placards depicting Belarus’ President Alexander Lukashenko during a rally in Warsaw.
“We didn’t expel anyone from the country,” he stated during a marathon press conference that lasted over four hours and 20 minutes.
He maintained that no one was silenced in Belarus, adding that prison is for those who “speak out too freely” and violate the law.
Officials reported an 81.5% voter turnout, with 6.9 million citizens eligible to cast their ballots.
On the eve of the election, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas characterized the process as a “blatant affront to democracy.”
Exiled opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya remarked that Mr. Lukashenko was orchestrating his re-election as part of a “ritual for dictators.”
Protests against him were held in Warsaw and other Eastern European cities.
Mr. Lukashenko dismissed the criticism as irrelevant and expressed indifference regarding whether the West chose to recognize the election.
‘Don’t care’
Following his crackdown on mass protests after the last election in 2020, the EU and the US stated they did not recognize him as the legitimate leader of Belarus, supporting Ms. Tsikhanouskaya’s claims of vote rigging.
Tens of thousands of individuals were arrested in response to the official results, which claimed he received just over 80% of the votes.
According to the banned human rights group Viasna, there are still approximately 1,250 political prisoners.
Mr. Lukashenko has released over 250 prisoners in the past year on what he termed humanitarian grounds, but he denied this was intended as a gesture to the West for mending relations.
“I don’t care about the West,” he declared, asserting that Belarus was open to dialogue with the EU but would not “bend or crawl on our knees.”
He noted that leading dissident Maria Kalesnikava had violated the regime but asserted she was in good health and that he had personally intervened to allow her a visit from her father last year.
Among other prominent political prisoners is Ales Bialiatski, a human rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, who is serving a 10-year sentence on smuggling charges, which he denies.
“In any state, individuals must take responsibility for breaking the law. The law is strict, but it is still the law,” Mr. Lukashenko stated.
Putin ally
Bringing his small dog with him to vote at a polling station in the capital, Mr. Lukashenko faced no serious opposition from the four other candidates listed on the ballot.
During the campaign, he remarked that he was too preoccupied to monitor it.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko brought his small dog with him to cast his vote (Photo credit: Belarusian Presidency).
While the election outcome was never in question, he encounters challenging choices in his upcoming term as he balances relations with Russia and the West—a constant theme of his lengthy rule—against the backdrop of potential discussions to resolve the conflict in Ukraine.
The war has significantly tied him to Russian President Vladimir Putin, with Mr. Lukashenko allowing his country to be used as a launchpad for the 2022 invasion and subsequently agreeing to the placement of tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus.
If the conflict comes to an end, political analysts suggest he may seek to regain legitimacy with the West to alleviate his isolation and pursue the lifting of sanctions.
Mr. Lukashenko remarked that he saw “light at the end of the tunnel” regarding the war, as Russia and Ukraine prepare for potential negotiations where compromises would need to be reached.
When asked if this would be his final election, the 70-year-old former Soviet farm boss refrained from providing a direct answer.
He claimed he was “not about to die” and had no particular successor in mind.
“When the time comes, we will consider this,” he stated.
