by Shelby Vcelka

Impunity Watch Desk Reporter, Europe

MINSK, Belarus–

Belarusian voters, in a seemingly rigged election, reelected incumbent president Alexander Lukashenko for a fifth term. Turnout to the election was high, with reporters saying 86.75% of citizens casting ballots. Lukashenko won by a profound margin, with 83.5% of the vote.

Lukashenko’s last reelection five years ago sparked massive protests and riots, ending with the imprisonment of leading opposition party members. Western countries have ostracized Lukashenko due to his human rights record and repression of political dissent, calling him “the last dictator in Europe.” However, Lukashenko criticized Russia’s activity in Crimea last year, and hosted peace talks during the Ukrainian crisis. In August, he pardoned six members of the opposition party he had previously imprisoned, with the hopes that his actions would soften his appearance to the West. For four months after the election, the European Union will lift sanctions on both Belarus and Lukashenko, barring any members from committing a last minute crackdown, as a result of his showing of good will.

“We have carried out everything the west wanted on the eve of the elections. If there is a desire in the west to improve our relations, nobody and nothing can prevent that,” Lukashenko commented while casting his vote during Sunday’s election. “The ball is now firmly in the west’s court.”

Belarus’ relations with Russia have shown signs of strain in recent months. In September, Russian President Vladimir Putin approved a plan to place a Russian airbase in Belarus, but by early October, Lukashenko stated that Belarus had no need for such a base. This is in addition to strains due to Belarus’ disapproval of Russian actions during the Ukrainian crisis.

Previous elections in Belarus have been monitored by the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, and they continued to watch the election on Sunday. The OSCE and other Western organizations have rated these elections as unfair, and are looking at Sunday’s vote as a showcasing of Belarus’ willingness to have free and fair elections. The official report by the OSCE will be released within the week of the vote.

For more information, please see–

BBC–Belarus president set to win fifth consecutive election— 10 October 2015

LA Times–Belarus election: Alexander Lukashenko will win, but by how much?— 10 October 2015

Al-Jazeera–Belarus poised to re-elect ‘last dictator in Europe’— 11 October 2015

The Guardian–Belarus election: Alexander Lukashenko wins fifth term with election landslide— 11 October 2015