Belarusians are voting in a closely-managed presidential election that is all but certain to extend the one-man rule of Alexander Lukashenko, in power since 1994 and Europe’s longest-serving leader.

Having visited the polling stations, I can say that people make informed choices, independent observer, former member of Spain's Congress of Deputies Angeles Maestro said.

Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, taking two hours to address the media at a press conference on election day, spoke at length about US President Donald Trump, Belarusian fears of being annexed by Russia and Europe's ties to Washington.

The last time Belarus staged a presidential election in 2020, authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko was declared the winner with 80% of the vote. That triggered cries of fraud, months of protests and a harsh crackdown with thousands of arrests.

Alexander Lukashenko criticizes EU stance on Belarus elections, calls it 'submission' to Washington - Anadolu Ajansı

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union rejected the election in Belarus on Sunday as illegitimate and threatened new sanctions. Belarus held an orchestrated vote virtually guaranteed to give 70-year-old autocratic President Alexander Lukashenko yet another term on top of his three decades in power.

Rubio's statement came following waves of prisoner releases by Lukashenko, often dubbed “Europe’s last dictator.” Belarus’ oldest rights group, Viasna, says that over 1,250 people remain ...

in power since 1994 and Europe’s longest-serving leader. The last time Belarus held a presidential election in 2020, Lukashenko claimed a landslide victory with more than 80% of the vote.

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has stated that the so-called presidential "elections" in Belarus on 26 January 2025 do not meet international standards and that there are no grounds to recognise Alexander Lukashenko as the legitimate president of Belarus.

"Many joint and national forces continue to be stationed near the borders of Belarus and Russia, and they are only intensifying their military activity, scale, and joint exercises," Andrey Serdyukov s

Belarus’ authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko is all but certain to extend his more than three decades in power in Sunday’s election that is rejected by the opposition as a farce after years o