MINSK: Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko was on observe to increase his 31 12 months rule with 87.6 p.c of the vote in a presidential election on Sunday (Jan 26), in accordance with an exit ballot broadcast on state TV, after hurling defiance on the West and defending the jailing of dissidents.
The shut ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin has led Belarus since 1994. The US and European Union each mentioned within the run as much as the election that it will be a sham as a result of unbiased media are banned in Belarus and all main opposition figures have been despatched to penal colonies or compelled to flee overseas.
Challenged over the jailing of his opponents, Lukashenko informed journalists that they have been the authors of their very own destiny.
“Some selected jail, some selected ‘exile’, as you say. We did not kick anybody overseas” he informed a marathon press convention lasting greater than 4 hours and 20 minutes.
He mentioned nobody was prevented from talking out in Belarus, however jail was “for individuals who opened their mouths too extensive, to place it bluntly, those that broke the regulation”.
The exit ballot was broadcast by state TV quickly after voting closed. Officers mentioned turnout was 81.5 p.c within the election, through which 6.9 million folks have been eligible to vote.
EU overseas coverage chief Kaja Kallas mentioned on the eve of the vote that it was a “blatant affront to democracy”.
Exiled opposition chief Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya informed Reuters this week that Lukashenko was engineering his re-election as a part of a “ritual for dictators”. Demonstrations towards him passed off on Sunday in Warsaw and different east European cities.
