Lukashenko's controversial win again sparks global outcry
Alexander Lukashenko won 87.6% of the votes in the presidential elections in Belarus, according to state-run Belarusian media, which cited exit poll results. Sunday's elections are not recognized as democratic by the Belarusian opposition and Western countries.
According to regime media, the other official candidates received between 1% and 3% of the votes, while exit poll results show that 5.1% of voters cast their ballots against all candidates. The regime organized Sunday's primary voting day, and Lukashenko, who has been in power for 31 years, secured his seventh term. Polling places closed at 8:00 PM (2:00 PM Eastern Time).
The opposition refers to this election as a "non-election" because there are no real opponents or any chance of a democratic process. Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya stated that neither Belarusians nor the international community recognize the results of Sunday's "elections." In a resolution, the European Parliament called for the EU and member states to continue not recognizing Lukashenko as president following the "elections," which it deemed "fictitious."
The previous elections in 2020, despite eliminating leading contenders on the opposition side through arrests and fabricated criminal cases—Siarhei Tsikhanouski and Viktar Babaryka are currently serving sentences—became an occasion for massive protests against Lukashenko.
According to experts, the Belarusian leader underestimated the scale of social discontent at that time and allowed Tsikhanouskaya to participate in the elections. Propaganda labeled her a "housewife" and a "cutlet fairy," attempting to denigrate her in the eyes of voters. Despite these efforts, according to the opposition and independent calculations (real results were never disclosed), Tsikhanouskaya won the elections. After Lukashenko was declared the winner with 81%, Belarusians took to the streets en masse.
The brutal suppression of protests and unprecedented political repression, even by Belarusian standards, led to the destruction or emigration of political opposition, media, organizations, and social activists and resulted in the imprisonment of thousands of people. Five years later, human rights defenders report that the repression continues unabated, with 1,256 people currently incarcerated for "political" reasons (though this is not a complete count).
Following the 2020 campaign and brutal repressions, Western countries decided not to recognize the officially announced election results. Since then, Lukashenko has not been identified as the legitimate head of state. The West maintains contacts with the Belarusian opposition in exile, but their actual influence and impact on the situation in Belarus are minimal.
