Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, who has held power since 1994, won his seventh consecutive term in office on Sunday. According to an official exit poll, Lukashenko secured 87.6 percent of the vote, but the election was widely criticized by the European Union and opposition groups, including exiled leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who called it a “farce.”
Lukashenko has faced intense criticism for his brutal crackdown on opposition, especially following the 2020 protests when he was accused of rigging the election. Many of his opponents have been imprisoned or forced into exile. In this election, candidates running against him were seen as loyal to his regime, with some even campaigning in his favor.
Despite the international condemnation, Lukashenko dismissed concerns about the legitimacy of the election, stating that he did not care whether the EU recognized the results. He also showed no remorse for allowing Russian troops to enter Ukraine through Belarus in 2022, despite the ongoing conflict and heavy casualties.
The recent vote marked the continuation of a repressive regime that has jailed over 1,200 political prisoners. Lukashenko won a higher percentage of the vote than in the disputed 2020 election, where he garnered 81.04 percent, despite widespread protests and accusations of election fraud.
Exiled opposition leaders, including Tikhanovskaya, continue to call for a change in leadership, but many Belarusians remain fearful, with some hiding their identities out of concern for their safety. Tikhanovskaya urged dissidents to be ready for change but acknowledged that now is not the moment for action.
