Final votes are still being counted, and the result isn't expected to be released until later on Monday, but state television predicted Lukashenko would win with almost 88% of the vote. View on eurone

The Deputy Prime Minister of Serbia, Aleksandar Vulin, congratulated Alexander Lukashenko on his "victory in democratic elections." It's important to note that the EU stated that the elections in Belarus "were neither free nor fair.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko extended his rule in a controversial election rejected by the opposition and the EU as illegitimate. The election came amidst a harsh crackdown on dissent and amid ongoing international scrutiny.

Belarus held an orchestrated election over the weekend that the opposition and the EU rejected as a farce, extending President Lukashenko's more than 30 years in power.

The European Union will not lift sanctions against the government of Belarus's autocrat Alexander Lukashenko following the country's "sham" presidential elections, the bloc's top diplomat Kaja Kallas said on Sunday.

Belarusian leader and Russian ally Alexander Lukashenko extended his 31-year rule on Monday after electoral officials declared him the winner of a presidential election Western governments rejected as a sham.

The EU's top diplomat said Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko, who is certain to win a seventh presidential term in Sunday's election after barring most opponents, "doesn't have any legitimacy".

STORY: Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko extended his 31-year rule with a massive election win.The country held a presidential election on Sunday.According to results published on the Central Election Commission's Telegram account,

Alexander Lukashenko was declared the landslide winner of presidential elections in Belarus. His victory was seen as a foregone conclusion in a country he's run for more than 30 years.

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.

As an East African bloc urged an immediate ceasefire in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwandan-backed M23 rebels who seized the city of Goma extended their advance on Wednesday, and Congo said it planned a campaign to recover lost territory.

Longtime Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko won a “sham” presidential election ... “So, we are taking part in the election with the president’s team.” Neither the EU, the U.K. nor the U.S. recognize Lukashenko’s government as legitimate.