Lukashenka re-elected Belarus president

Alexander Lukashenka, president of Belarus since 1994, has been re-elected for the third time with 82.6% of the vote. The opposition called the elections a “complete farce” and called on its supporters to take to the streets and protest.

According to preliminary official results, the incumbent Belarus president, Alexander Lukashenka, has won a third term in office by 82.6% of all votes in the 19 March election. His main opponent, Alexander Milinkevich gained only 6% of the votes. The opposition says that campaigning was over-shadowed by arrests of opposition activists and mass intimidation and is therefore calling for “new, honest elections”. The opposition candidates are also calling on protesters to return to the streets on 20 March, whereas Lukashenka has said he would “break the neck” of anyone threatening public order.

Described recently by the US as “the last dictator in Europe”, Lukashenka responded, after the vote in Belarus’s presidential election, by denouncing US President George W. Bush as “terrorist number one on the planet”.

EU foreign ministers are likely to discuss the elections on 20 March in a meeting of the Council. The EU has said that if evidence of electoral fraud is found, ministers could impose visa bans targeting those Belarussian officials considered responsible. Election observers from the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) are expected to deliver a critical verdict on the elections.

Read more with Euractiv

Belarus preparing for presidential show-down

In the run-up to the 19 March presidential vote, an atmosphere of fear and tension prevails in Belarus. Incumbent President Lukashenka is widely expected to win a third term. The west, meanwhile, is weighing its options.