Alexander Lukashenko has secured a seventh five-year term as Belarusian president. The elections were held on Sunday, January 26, 2025. Some activists and political opponents have described the elections as a sham and undemocratic. Lukashenko won 86.8% of the votes.
The electoral commission stated that turnout was 85.7% in the election, with 6.9 million people eligible to vote. An earlier exit poll broadcast on state television projected that Lukashenko would take 87.6% of the vote.
Lukashenko, a 70-year-old former collective farm boss, first came to power in 1994 at the age of 39. This means he has been in power for 31 years, making him Europe’s longest-serving leader. He suppressed mass protests against his rule in 2020. The opposition and the West claimed Lukashenko rigged the last presidential vote, and authorities cracked down on demonstrations, leaving more than a thousand people still jailed.
However, the war in Ukraine has tied him more closely than ever to Putin, whose invasion was launched in part from Belarusian territory. Putin has also deployed Russian tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus.
Ubong Usoro for Nigeria Magazine