Lukashenko secures overwhelming victory in Belarusian presidential election

Incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko is poised to secure another term as President of Belarus, according to preliminary data released by the Central Election Commission (CEC).

With 86.82% of the vote, Lukashenko has further consolidated his position as the nation’s leader, Caliber.Az reports, citing Belarus media.

The announcement was made during a press conference by Igor Karpenko, chairman of the CEC. These results show a significant increase compared to the 2020 election, where Lukashenko garnered 80.10% of the vote amid widespread protests and international scrutiny.

According to preliminary figures, other candidates trailed far behind:

• Oleg Gaidukevich, Chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party, received 2.02%.
• Entrepreneur Anna Kanopatskaya secured 1.86%.
• Sergei Syrankov, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party, earned 3.21%.
• Alexander Khizhnyak, Chairman of the Republican Party of Labor and Justice, obtained 1.74%.

Meanwhile, 3.6% of voters chose to vote against all candidates, an option available under Belarusian electoral law.

The CEC emphasized that these results are based on a preliminary count of all ballots cast nationwide. The final results are expected to be officially announced on February 3.

Lukashenko’s landslide victory reinforces his long-standing rule in Belarus, which began in 1994, making him one of Europe’s longest-serving leaders.

By Khagan Isayev