Russian dictator Vladimir Putin congratulated his colleague Alexander Lukashenko on being re-elected as the President of Belarus. "You are always a welcome and dear guest on Russian soil. As agreed, I will soon be waiting for you in Moscow,

Victory “demonstrates your high political authority,” the Kremlin chief gushes about his counterpart in Minsk.

MINSK (Reuters) -Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko said on Sunday that some of his political opponents had "chosen" to go to prison as he cast his vote in a election that was set to extend his 31-year rule.

Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko is set to cruise to victory after more than 30 years in power. Sunday's presidential election has been slammed as a sham, with his rivals broadly seen as government stooges.

Belarusian leader and Russian ally Alexander Lukashenko extended his 31-year rule on Monday after electoral officials declared him the winner of a presidential election that Western governments rejected as a sham.

By Mark Trevelyan (Reuters) -Belarusian leader and Russian ally Alexander Lukashenko extended his 31-year rule on Monday after electoral officials declared him the winner of a presidential election that Western governments rejected as a sham.

Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko declared himself president for his seventh consecutive term in an election on Jan. 26 internationally deemed as neither free nor fair. The Belarusian Election Commission claimed that Lukashenko "won" 86.

"Alexander Lukashenko received 86.82% of the votes in the Belarusian elections, according to CEC chairman Igor Karpenko," the report said. Read also: Belarus holds election as Ukraine and EU reject legitimacy of results BELTA also released preliminary results for other candidates and the “against all” option: ・Oleg Gaydukevich – 2.

EU said it will not lift sanctions against Alexander Lukashenko’s government following ‘sham’ presidential elections.