Belarus. Lukashenko claims victory amid global election rejection

According to information provided by regime media, the other official candidates received between 1% and 3% of the votes. Additionally, the exit poll results showed that 5.1% of voters chose to vote against all candidates. Sunday was the primary voting day organized by the regime, during which Lukashenko, who has been in power for 31 years, secured his seventh term. Polling places closed at 8:00 PM local time (2:00 PM Eastern Time).

The opposition calls this election a "non-election" because it lacks real opponents and any chance of a democratic process. Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya said neither Belarusians nor the international community recognizes the results of Sunday's "elections." The European Parliament passed a resolution urging the EU and its member states to continue not recognizing Lukashenko as president following these "elections," which it deemed "fictitious."

The previous elections in 2020, despite eliminating the leading opposition contenders through arrests and staged criminal cases—Siarhei Tsikhanouski and Viktar Babaryka (currently serving sentences)—became an occasion for massive protests against Lukashenko.

At that time, the Belarusian leader – according to experts – underestimated the scale of social discontent and allowed Tsikhanouskaya to participate in the elections. Propaganda tried to discredit her by labelling her a "housewife" and a "cutlet fairy," mocking her in the public eye. Despite this effort, according to the opposition and independent calculations (accurate results were never disclosed), Tsikhanouskaya won the elections. After Lukashenko was declared the winner with 81%, Belarusians took to the streets in large numbers.

The brutal suppression of protests and violent waves of political repression, unprecedented even for Belarus, led to the destruction or emigration of political opposition, media, organizations, and social activists and imprisoned thousands of people. Five years later, as reported by human rights defenders, the repression continues unabated, with 1,256 people currently incarcerated "for politics" (though this is not a complete count).

Following the 2020 campaign and brutal repressions, Western countries refused to recognize the officially announced election results, and since then, Lukashenko has not been identified as the legitimate head of state. The West maintains contacts with the Belarusian opposition in exile, but its real influence and impact on the situation in Belarus remain minimal.