Minsk (AFP) – Alexander Lukashenko won a fifth term as president of Belarus by a landslide, and warned the opposition against protests that could derail the lifting of Western sanctions imposed over rights abuse allegations.With long-standing opposition figures barred from standing in Sunday’s vote and state media giving Lukashenko uniformly positive coverage, the veteran leader ran against three virtual unknowns — only one of whom campaigned.Lukashenko took 83.49 percent of the vote, election chief Lidiya Yermoshina said, with his nearest rival Tatiana Korotkevich mustering just 4.42 percent of the ballot.The result, though preliminary, is the highest ever for Lukashenko whose …read more
Source: Business Insider
