The longtime leader of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, dubbed the “last dictator in Europe”, was re -elected by the president of 86.8% of the vote.
The result was condemned as opponents of Lukashenko and Western governments.
There were four more names in the newsletter – carefully selected so as not to present any problems for the current leadership – and no reliable applicants were allowed to participate in the elections, as all opposition figures are either in prison or exile abroad.
At the press conference of the mammoth four and a half hours on Sunday night, Russian editor Steve Rosenberg asked questions about democracy and political prisoners.