Alexander Lukashenko pockets massive win in Belarus election scorned by the West

It's just a country with the illusion of choice,

22-year-old student Aliaxandra said

If it is prison then it's those who opened their mouths too widely,

he added

The successor issue only becomes relevant when a leader prepares to step down. But Lukashenko isn’t going to leave,

Karbalevich said

Kaja KallaseU foreign policy chief

Today’s sham election in Belarus has been neither free, nor fair,

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and EU enlargement commissioner Marta Kos said in a joint statement

The main thing for me is that Belarusians recognize these elections and that they end peacefully, as they began,

he said

Gitanas Nausėdalithuanian President

Let's make it perfectly clear: what is happening in Belarus today cannot be called elections. Once again, Alyaksandr Lukashenka is using external attributes of democracy to stay in power. But he is not – and will not be after today's event – a legitimate president of Belarus."

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda wrote on X on Sunday

In Belarus this week someone told me 'There's no alternative to Alexander Lukashenko as leader of our country.' Who said that? One of the candidates who's been allowed to run against Lukashenko in the election."

Steve Rosenberg, Russia editor for BBC News, on Saturday wrote on X

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskayaopposition leader

Today, we marched for freedom in Warsaw—united and unshaken, honoring our heroes who gave their lives for freedom. Together, we are unstoppable. As Belarusians, we will never lose hope. We will reclaim our country and return home stronger than ever. Long live Belarus!"

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who calls herself president-elect of Belarus, wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on Sunday

Alexander Lukashenkopresident

I don’t give a damn about the west”.

But Lukashenko rejected this interpretation, saying

Alexander Lukashenkopresident

The people of Belarus had no choice. Instead of free and fair elections and a life without fear and arbitrariness, they experience oppression, repression and human rights violations on a daily basis,

she said, ahead of exit polls that showed Lukashenko winning 87.6% of the vote

I do not regret anything,

he said in response to a question from AFP, during an often rambling press conference with international media that ran over four hours

I’m totally against a woman doing this job. A woman can’t be a dictator but we have quite a few men who could be leaders,

he said

We shouldn’t count on this, but it’s also possible. Or it could be another unexpected event – a so-called 'black swan' – that could appear suddenly,

she added

Kaja KallaseU foreign policy chief

This is a blatant affront to democracy,

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas posted on social media, describing the vote as a sham

Alexander Lukashenkopresident

We very nearly destroyed ourselves, let's be open about this,

Lukashenko said

Alexander Lukashenkopresident

All our opponents and enemies should understand: do not hope, we will never repeat what we had in 2020,

Lukashenko told a stadium in Minsk during a ceremony on Friday

Kaja KallaseU foreign policy chief

Lukashenko doesn't have any legitimacy."

Kaja Kallas, the EU's top diplomat, called the election a "sham" in a posting on X Saturday and said

I will vote for Lukashenko because things have improved since he became president (in 1994),

said 42-year-old farmer Alexei in the tiny village of Gubichi in south-eastern Belarus

While reiterating their non-recognition of Mr Lukashenko as President and their position that the entire Belarusian regime is illegitimate, MEPs express their unwavering support for the Belarusian people in their pursuit of democracy, freedom and human rights,

a statement by the European Parliament read

You have to keep safe until the real moment of possibility.”

But Tsikhanouskaya told Belarusians not to protest as they did in the last election, saying