The president of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko has been sworn in for a fifth term in office. Officials claim he secured close to 84 percent of last
ADVERTISEMENTThe president of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko has been sworn in for a fifth term in office.
Officials claim he secured close to 84 percent of last month’s vote from a turnout of around 87 percent.
He has been in power since 1994.
In the past Lukashenko has been described as Europe’s last dictator and derided over his human rights record.
But recently his perceived pro-Ukraine stance has won him new friends in the US and the European Union.
EU officials last month suspended sanctions on Lukashenko following his pardoning of political prisoners and what was said to be a lack of repression surrounding his re-election earlier this month.
The sanctions had stopped Belarus from gaining access to European capital markets, leaving Russia as the country’s main source of financing.