President Alexander Lukashenko's 31-Year Rule in Belarus, "A Farce of an Election" – European Union

Minsk, January 27  : Alexander Lukashenko, Russia's close ally and long-standing leader of Belarus, has been re-elected as President. The head of the country's Central Election Commission, Igor Karpenko, announced at a press conference early Monday morning, "You can congratulate the Republic of Belarus, we have elected a president."

Lukashenko, who has been in power since 1994, has now secured an additional five years, extending his 31-year rule. However, this election has faced severe criticism from Western nations. The United States and the European Union have rejected the election, calling it "neither free nor fair."

Dismissing the accusations of his critics, Lukashenko claimed that stability has been maintained in Belarus under his leadership and rejected demands for the release of political prisoners.

Meanwhile, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio stated that during the election period, Belarusian authorities released an American citizen. However, the background of this incident remains unclear.

The Western world has condemned the election as a "sham" and expressed concerns over the lack of democracy in Belarus.