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| Belarus election: Alexander Lukashenko expected to win fifth term | |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| The Belarus president, Alexander Lukashenko, was set to win a fifth term in power after exit polls showed him with more than 80% of the vote in Sunday’s election. | |
| Lukashenko’s re-election five years ago led to mass protests and the imprisonment of leading opposition figures, but support for his 20-year-old regime has risen since he cast himself as a guarantor of stability in the face of economic crisis and a pro-Russia separatist conflict in neighbouring Ukraine. | Lukashenko’s re-election five years ago led to mass protests and the imprisonment of leading opposition figures, but support for his 20-year-old regime has risen since he cast himself as a guarantor of stability in the face of economic crisis and a pro-Russia separatist conflict in neighbouring Ukraine. |
| Exit polls on state television showed he had secured 80-84% of the vote, slightly more than the 80% he won in the 2010 elections, with turnout at 86.75%, the central electoral commission said. | |
| Turnout was highest in the northern Vitebsk region where 91% of voters cast their ballots, and topped 90% in two other regions. It was lowest in the capital, Minsk, at 73.33%, the commission said on its website. | |
| The west has long ostracised Lukashenko’s Belarus – described in 2005 by then US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice as “Europe’s last dictatorship” – over its human rights record and clampdown on political dissent. It has imposed economic sanctions on some Belarusian officials and companies. | The west has long ostracised Lukashenko’s Belarus – described in 2005 by then US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice as “Europe’s last dictatorship” – over its human rights record and clampdown on political dissent. It has imposed economic sanctions on some Belarusian officials and companies. |
| Nevertheless, Lukashenko’s criticism of Russia’s annexation of the Crimea peninsula in Ukraine last year, his hosting of Ukraine peace talks and his pardoning of six opposition leaders in August suggest he is seeking to improve his image in the west, observers say. | Nevertheless, Lukashenko’s criticism of Russia’s annexation of the Crimea peninsula in Ukraine last year, his hosting of Ukraine peace talks and his pardoning of six opposition leaders in August suggest he is seeking to improve his image in the west, observers say. |
| Related: Belarus president shows how to win five elections – without even trying | Related: Belarus president shows how to win five elections – without even trying |
| “We have carried out everything the west wanted on the eve of the elections. If there is a desire in the west to improve our relations, nobody and nothing can prevent that,” Lukashenko said as he cast his vote. “The ball is now firmly in the west’s court.” | “We have carried out everything the west wanted on the eve of the elections. If there is a desire in the west to improve our relations, nobody and nothing can prevent that,” Lukashenko said as he cast his vote. “The ball is now firmly in the west’s court.” |
| Relations with Moscow, meanwhile, have shown signs of strain. In September, Vladimir Putin approved a plan to build an airbase in Belarus, but early this month Lukashenko said his country had no need for such a base, appearing to bow to public protests on the eve of the election. | Relations with Moscow, meanwhile, have shown signs of strain. In September, Vladimir Putin approved a plan to build an airbase in Belarus, but early this month Lukashenko said his country had no need for such a base, appearing to bow to public protests on the eve of the election. |
| The EU will lift its sanctions on Belarus, including those on Lukashenko, for four months after Sunday’s vote, barring any last-minute crackdown, diplomatic sources said on Friday. | The EU will lift its sanctions on Belarus, including those on Lukashenko, for four months after Sunday’s vote, barring any last-minute crackdown, diplomatic sources said on Friday. |
| Previous elections in Belarus were considered unfair by western observers and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which is monitoring Sunday’s vote, said in September the ballot represented a “pivotal moment” for Belarus to demonstrate a willingness to hold free and fair elections. | Previous elections in Belarus were considered unfair by western observers and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which is monitoring Sunday’s vote, said in September the ballot represented a “pivotal moment” for Belarus to demonstrate a willingness to hold free and fair elections. |
| The election turnout was boosted by authorities organising a huge early vote that began on Tuesday, including for soldiers and students. Over a third of the electorate of more than seven million voted ahead of Sunday’s polls. | |
| The OSCE will present a report on their election monitoring on Monday, after which Brussels will release a formal statement, an EU spokesman said. | The OSCE will present a report on their election monitoring on Monday, after which Brussels will release a formal statement, an EU spokesman said. |