The E.U. has called Sunday’s election a sham. Lukashenko, running virtually unopposed, said he was “too busy” to even campaign.

Long-time leader of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, once dubbed "Europe's last dictator", arrived to cast his ballot. Then, while Belarusians were still voting, candidate Lukashenko gave a four-and-a-half hour press conference live on state TV.

Belarus held an orchestrated election over the weekend that the opposition and the EU rejected as a farce, extending President Lukashenko's more than 30 years in power.

Alexander Lukashenko has extended his 31-year rule by winning a controversial seventh term in Belarus. Amid accusations of election rigging, political repression, and growing reliance on Russia, the autocratic leader’s grip on power remains firm.

Five years after widespread protests tried and failed to topple Alexander Lukashenko, he has once again been re-elected as President of Belarus. According to the official result, Lukashenko received a resounding victory with 87 percent of the vote. But no one really believes it.

Final votes are still being counted and the result isn't expected to be released until later on Monday morning but state television predict Lukashenko winning with almost 88% of the vote. #EuropeNews

MINSK: Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko was on track to extend his 31 year rule with 87.6 percent of the vote in a presidential election on Sunday (Jan 26), according to an exit

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

Reuters, the news and media division of Thomson Reuters, is the world’s largest multimedia news provider, reaching billions of people worldwide every day. Reuters provides business, financial, national and international news to professionals via desktop terminals, the world's media organizations, industry events and directly to consumers.

The Russian and Chinese leaders congratulated Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko for winning a seventh term in office, with Russia's Vladimir Putin saying the election showed he had the "undoubted" backing of the people.

Belarus votes in orchestrated election all but certain to extend the rule of authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko