President Alexander Lukashenko has won a a seventh term in office in Belarus, according to the country’s Central Election Commission. According to a statement by the Central Election Commission, the 70-year-old leader took nearly 87% per cent of the vote in Sunday’s election after a campaign in which four token challengers all praised his rule.

Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko defended his 31-year rule during a controversial election, dismissing Western criticism and claims of a sham vote due to jailed or exiled opposition. The EU and US refused to acknowledge him as Belarus' legitimate leader amidst human rights concerns and geopolitical alignments with Russia.

Belarusian strongman President Alexander Lukashenko is poised to extend his rule into a fourth decade in a tightly-controlled vote where he faces no opposition.