Belarus State Media Claims Lukashenko Won Election

Belarus state television claimed that Alexander Lukashenko, the President of Belarus, has won the presidential election in the country on Sunday, January 27. This government media outlet cited the results of a poll, claiming that the current president, who has held power for 31 years, managed to secure about 88% of the votes. Meanwhile, the United States and the European Union have called the presidential election in Belarus a sham, emphasizing the ban on independent media activities in Belarus and the exile or fleeing of opposition leaders. Kaya Kalas, the EU's foreign policy chief, described the presidential election in Belarus as 'an outright disrespect for democracy.' Svetlana Tsikhanouskaya, the leader of the Belarusian opposition, had previously stated that Lukashenko would engineer his reelection in the tradition of dictators. Alexander Lukashenko, a close ally of Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, dismissed these criticisms, stating that the West's decision not to recognize the elections is of no importance to him. Following the government crackdown on widespread protests that erupted after the last presidential election in Belarus in 2020, the United States and the European Union announced that they do not recognize Alexander Lukashenko as the legitimate leader of Belarus. At that time, Svetlana Tsikhanouskaya claimed that Lukashenko had declared himself the winner of the election through vote rigging. The European Union is strengthening its border monitoring with Russia and Belarus. The United States has sanctioned 400 individuals and entities for supporting Russia's aggression against Ukraine. EU leaders have agreed to quickly return 'illegal migrants.' Lukashenko announced the deployment of nearly one-third of the Belarusian army along the borders with Ukraine.