Lukashenko on track for landslide victory in Belarus election

(CLO) On January 26, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko was expected to continue to hold power, with nearly 88% of the vote, according to poll results announced by state television.

However, Western countries have spoken out to reject the legitimacy of this election. Mr. Lukashenko declared: "I do not care about the West."

Mr Lukashenko is a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Photo: Kremlin.ru, CC BY 4.0

According to Belarusian officials, voter turnout reached 85.7%, out of a total of 6.9 million eligible people.

Mr Lukashenko faces no real challenge from the four remaining candidates in the election.

Exiled opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya opposed the election and organized protests in Warsaw and several Eastern European cities.

Despite the criticism, Mr. Lukashenko rejected all of it and said he did not care whether the West recognized the election results or not.

The US and EU refused to recognise Lukashenko as Belarus’s leader after the 2020 election, which he was accused of rigging to win over Tsikhanouskaya. Tens of thousands of people took to the streets in protest, and thousands were arrested.

Cao Phong (according to Politico, NYT, CNN)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/ong-lukashenko-tien-toi-chien-thang-ap-dao-trong-cuoc-bau-cu-belarus-post332147.html