File photo. Belarus president Alexander Lukashenko derided western critics who have accused him of rigging the vote and jailing political opponents. Photo: AFP / Pool / Gavriil Grigorov
Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko has dismissed western condemnation of his country's presidential elections, as he was on course to extend his 31-year-reign of the ex-Soviet state.
An exit poll from state TV projected the longtime president would pick up nearly 88 percent of the vote.
The result was labelled a "sham" in a joint statement released by Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Canada, and the European Union on Monday evening.
There were no independent monitors of the vote and no other credible contender as all opposition figures were either in jail or in exile.
Mr Lukashenko has long been considered one of Putin's closest allies, even agreeing to let Russia place tactical missiles in the country.
In a four hour press conference held after he cast his vote, Mr Lukashenko derided western critics who have accused him of rigging the vote and jailing political opponents.
"I don't give a damn about the West," he said.
Asked about the jailing of his opponents, the president said they had "chosen" their fate.
"Some chose prison, some chose 'exile', as you say. We didn't kick anyone out of the country," he told the press conference.
Western leaders mock result
The EU and the US both said they did not acknowledge him as legitimate leader of Belarus.
In 2020, Mr Lukashenko used his security forces to crush mass protests following the last election, when Western governments backed the opposition's claim that he had rigged the count and cheated them of victory.
The joint statement, signed by Australia and others, called for the release of over 1,250 political prisoners who were "unjustly detained".
The statement said newly-introduced sanctions would represent a "coordinated, multilateral effort to hold the Lukashenko regime to account".
"We are united in our condemnation of the sham presidential elections in Belarus on 26 January and the ongoing human rights violations perpetrated by the Belarusian regime," it said.
The UK government said it sanctioned six individuals and three entities for their involvement in the regime.
European politicians said this weekend's vote was neither free nor fair because independent media are banned in the former Soviet state.
"The people of Belarus had no choice. It is a bitter day for all those who long for freedom & democracy," German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock posted on X.
Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski expressed mock surprise that "only" 87.6 per cent of the electorate appeared to have backed Mr Lukashenko.
"Will the rest fit inside the prisons?" he wrote on X.
Following the results, the Kremlin released a statement congratulating Mr Lukashenko's victory.
It described western criticism of the result as "predictable".
- This story was initially published by https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-01-28/belarus-election-result-slammed-by-west/104865260 the ABC]
