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| Lukashenko re-elected for seventh term – exit polls | Lukashenko re-elected for seventh term – exit polls |
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| Derided in the West as a dictator, the Belarusian president has said his leadership brings “stability and security” | Derided in the West as a dictator, the Belarusian president has said his leadership brings “stability and security” |
| Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has won a seventh term in office, extending his three-decade rule of the former Soviet republic for another five years, exit polls have indicated after the country’s election on Sunday. | |
| Competing against four other candidates, Lukashenko won 87.6% of the vote, according to exit polls released by Belarusian state media after voting closed. None of the other candidates won more than 5%. | |
| If confirmed, the result ensures that Lukashenko will remain in power until 2030. Belarus’ first and only post-independence leader, Lukashenko has led the country since 1994, serving six consecutive terms in office. | If confirmed, the result ensures that Lukashenko will remain in power until 2030. Belarus’ first and only post-independence leader, Lukashenko has led the country since 1994, serving six consecutive terms in office. |
| Lukashenko faced a storm of international criticism after he was last elected in 2020, with Western nations accusing the country’s long-term leader of electoral fraud, which he denied. Widespread protests broke out after the election, and pro-Western opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya continues to insist that she was the rightful winner, referring to herself as Belarus’ “elected president” while engaging with Western governments. | Lukashenko faced a storm of international criticism after he was last elected in 2020, with Western nations accusing the country’s long-term leader of electoral fraud, which he denied. Widespread protests broke out after the election, and pro-Western opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya continues to insist that she was the rightful winner, referring to herself as Belarus’ “elected president” while engaging with Western governments. |
| Western media outlets frequently refer to Lukashenko as a dictator. In November, he acknowledged the existence of a dictatorship in Belarus, calling it one of “stability, security, order, kindness, and hospitality.” Lukashenko previously stressed the need for a dignified electoral process, avoiding what he described as an “American-style show” that led to violence in the US last year. He stressed that it is crucial for the election to be conducted properly to prevent criticism. | Western media outlets frequently refer to Lukashenko as a dictator. In November, he acknowledged the existence of a dictatorship in Belarus, calling it one of “stability, security, order, kindness, and hospitality.” Lukashenko previously stressed the need for a dignified electoral process, avoiding what he described as an “American-style show” that led to violence in the US last year. He stressed that it is crucial for the election to be conducted properly to prevent criticism. |
| Belarus has been a strategic partner of Russia since 1999, with the two countries strengthening their alliance since the Ukraine conflict escalated in 2022. Last year, Moscow and Minsk finalized a security treaty responding to the US military buildup across Europe. The agreement includes plans to station Russia’s new Oreshnik medium-range hypersonic missile systems in Belarus by 2025. | Belarus has been a strategic partner of Russia since 1999, with the two countries strengthening their alliance since the Ukraine conflict escalated in 2022. Last year, Moscow and Minsk finalized a security treaty responding to the US military buildup across Europe. The agreement includes plans to station Russia’s new Oreshnik medium-range hypersonic missile systems in Belarus by 2025. |
| Speaking at a press conference on Sunday, Lukashenko said that the missiles will be deployed on Belarusian soil “any day now,” adding that “one Oreshnik is enough to protect Belarus.” | Speaking at a press conference on Sunday, Lukashenko said that the missiles will be deployed on Belarusian soil “any day now,” adding that “one Oreshnik is enough to protect Belarus.” |