Belarus - January 2025
Lukashenka reelected in presidential poll
Belarus held a presidential election on 26 January in which incumbent Alyaksandr Lukashenka won his seventh straight term. According to the Central Election Commission, Lukashenka won 87.5 per cent of the vote on 85.7 per cent turnout, up from 84.3 per cent in the previous election. The election took place in a repressive electoral and media environment without genuine opposition candidates on the ballot. Sergei Syrankov, who finished second with 3.2 per cent of the vote, endorsed Lukashenka before the election and campaigned on his behalf. Three other candidates received between 1.8 and 2.0 per cent of the vote. Observers have not judged any Belarusian election since 1994 to be free or fair, and no independent election observers took part in this iteration because the Belarusian government declined to invite sufficiently far in advance for observation missions to be organized.
Sources: Reuters, Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, International IDEA, British Broadcasting Corporation
