Alexander wins 7th term as Belarus president with 87% votes, closest rival gets 3%
January 27, 2025 - Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has been re-elected for the seventh time, securing nearly 87% of the votes, extending his three-decade-long rule for another six years. However, Western leaders and Belarusian opposition have denounced the election as a "staged farce."
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock described the day as a “bitter day for all those who long for freedom and democracy.” Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski sarcastically remarked, “Only 87.6% support? Will the rest end up in prison?”
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Lukashenko on his “confident victory.”
The Belarusian election commission reported that Lukashenko garnered almost 87% of the votes, while his closest rival received only 3%. Opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya condemned the election as a “farce” and urged world leaders not to recognize the results of this "vote" in a country where independent media and opposition parties have been destroyed, and prisons are filled with political prisoners.
Relations between Lukashenko and Western nations deteriorated following the controversial 2020 election and border conflicts. Since then, he has grown increasingly reliant on Moscow.
Meanwhile, protests took place in various European cities, where Belarus’s traditional white-red-white flag was displayed.
Lukashenko hinted at the possibility of running in the 2030 election, despite Western criticism. While disregarding international condemnation, he has recently taken steps to improve global relations, such as pardoning 250 political prisoners and allowing limited contact with some imprisoned opposition leaders.
