"Alexander Lukashenko received 86.82% of the votes in the Belarusian elections, according to CEC chairman Igor Karpenko," the report said.
BELTA also released preliminary results for other candidates and the “against all” option:
- Oleg Gaydukevich – 2.02%
- Anna Kanopatskaya – 1.86%
- Sergey Sirankov – 3.21%
- Alexander Khizhnyak – 1.74%
- "Against all" – 3.60%.
Earlier, BELTA published exit poll results suggesting Lukashenko had secured over 87% of the vote. Elections in Belarus are traditionally characterized by tight state control, the absence of real opposition, and allegations of vote rigging.
EU condemns Belarus’ ‘election’ as Illegitimate
European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas condemned Belarus' presidential "election" as fraudulent, saying that it was neither free nor fair and that the Belarusian people deserve a genuine say in who governs their country.
"The ruthless and unprecedented repression of human rights, restrictions on political participation, and lack of access to independent media in Belarus have stripped the electoral process of any legitimacy," Kallas said in a statement published on the official EU website.