Alexander Lukashenko re-elected as Belarus President

PanARMENIAN.Net - Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, a pro-Russia autocrat, swept to victory on Sunday, October 11, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Lukashenko, a former collective-farm boss who has ruled this former Soviet republic of some 10 million for more than two decades, won five more years in power with 83.5% of votes, according to preliminary results from the country’s election commission.

The 61-year-old Lukashenko has faced little opposition in Belarus, a country wedged between Russia and the EU where the state dominates the economy. He depends on Moscow for financial and political support, but has made recent overtures to the EU in an apparent attempt to foster ties. He released political prisoners in August, including the last one of several former presidential candidates jailed after the last election in 2010, and a small protest Sunday evening passed peacefully.

The EU is preparing to suspend sanctions, including financial penalties and visa bans, this month if the election passes muster, European officials have said. Election monitors from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe planned to present preliminary findings and conclusions Monday.

Lukashenko said Sunday that any rapprochement with the EU didn’t threaten Russia’s position as his country’s main partner.