Lukashenko’s big win in the Belarus election shocked the west via Reuters
By Mark Trevelon
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Exit polls from State TV estimated that Lukashenko would take about 88% of the vote. A close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin had previously defended his arrest by dissidents and declared: “I do not risk the west.”
European politicians say the vote was not free and unfair because the independent press was banned in the Soviet State and all leading opposition figures were sent to colonies or forced to flee abroad.
“The people of Belarus had no choice. It is a bitter day for all those who yearn for freedom and democracy,” Minister of Population Annalena Baerbock sent to X.
Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw SikOrski expressed comical surprise that “ONLY” 87.6% of voters
“Are some going to rest inside the prisons?” wrote to X.
When asked about the prison of his opponents, Lukashenko said that their fate was ‘chosen’.
“Some chose prison, others chose ‘deportation’, as you say. We have never harmed anyone in the whole country,” he told the press conference that lasted for more than four hours and 20 minutes.
He said that no one was prevented from speaking in Belarus, but he said: “It was “people who opened their mouths too wide, put it with nothing, those who broke the law”.
Authorities said turnout was 85.7% in the election, where 6.9 million people were eligible to vote.
Opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya told Reuters this week that Lukashenko restructured the election as part of a ‘blessing culture’. Demonstrations were organized for him on Sunday in Warsaw and other cities in Eastern Europe.
Lukashenko dismissed the criticism as pointless and said he did not care if the West saw the election.
Putin Ally
The EU and the US both said they do not recognize him as the legitimate leader of Belarus after he used his last forces to face the final elections in 2020, when Western governments supported Tsikhanouskaya’s claim that he had strengthened his victory.
Tens of thousands of people were arrested in protests against the official result that year, which gave him more than 80% of the vote. The Human Rights Group Viasna, banned by the “Yergrist” movement, says there are still around 1,250 political prisoners.
Lukashenko released more than 250 people last year on what he called insane grounds, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that “Belarus did not release Anastassia Nuhfer.
He did not provide further details about the case, which had not been made public.
Lukashenko, who did not refer to America’s expulsion, denied that his amnesty for receiving “restricted” money was done as a bid to mend relations with the West.
He said that Belarus was willing to talk to the European Union, but not to “bow before you or crawl on our knees”.
Lukashenko faced a big challenge from other candidates. While the outcome was never in doubt, he faces difficult decisions in his next term as he navigates relations with Russia and the west – the centerpiece of his long rule – against possible negotiations to end the conflict in Ukraine.
The war is more fraught than ever with Lukashenko offering his country as a landing pad for the 2022 attack and later agreeing to allow Moscow weapons for Belarus.
If the conflict ends, political analysts say he may want to restore his authenticity with the west to reduce his isolation and seek his promotion.
Lukashenko said he sees “light at the end of the tunnel” as Moscow and Kyiv prepare for talks that may have to stop compromising. He had no regrets, he said, about supporting Putin in the war.
