‘Europe’s last dictator’ Lukashenko extends 3-decade rule in Belarus

Belarus strongman Alexander Lukashenko, in power since 1994, won a seventh consecutive term in office on Sunday in an election denounced by the European Union and the exiled opposition.

With his opponents in prison or exiled, the 70-year-old ruler appeared to have won 87.6 per cent of the vote, according to an official exit poll.

Lukashenko has orchestrated a ruthless crackdown on opponents since huge protests against him in 2020. This time around, the candidates picked to run against him actually campaigned in his favour.

Exiled opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya called the election a “farce”, while the EU described it as a “sham”.

Lukashenko, however, said he did not care whether the bloc recognised the results.