Lukashenko Secures Seventh Term as Belarus President
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Synopsis
On January 27, 2023, incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko was declared the winner of the Belarus presidential election, securing 86.82% of the votes, as per preliminary results from the Central Election Commission. This victory marks his seventh consecutive term in office.
Key Takeaways
- Lukashenko won with 86.82% of votes
- Other candidates received minimal support
- 5,325 polling stations were utilized
- Election held every five years
- New two-term limit imposed post-election
Minsk, Jan 27 (NationPress) Incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko has emerged victorious in the presidential election of Belarus, as indicated by the preliminary results disclosed early Monday by the nation's Central Election Commission.
The initial figures from the Central Election Commission reveal that Lukashenko garnered 86.82 percent of the votes. In contrast, his challengers, Sergei Syrankov, Oleg Gaidukevich, Anna Kanopatskaya, and Alexander Khizhnyak, received 3.21 percent, 2.02 percent, 1.86 percent, and 1.74 percent respectively.
An earlier exit poll cited by the Belarusian Committee of Youth Organisations also indicated Lukashenko's lead with 87.6 percent of the votes, according to reports from Xinhua news agency.
The exit poll results showed the remaining candidates with the following percentages: Oleg Gaidukevich at 1.8 percent, Alexander Khizhnyak at 1.2 percent, Anna Kanopatskaya at 1.6 percent, and Sergei Syrankov at 2.7 percent, with 5.1 percent of voters opting against all candidates.
The presidential election commenced in Belarus earlier on Sunday, with polling stations opening at 8:00 a.m. (0500 GMT) and concluding at 8 p.m. (1700 GMT).
Voters participated at 5,325 polling stations across the nation, with approximately 6.9 million eligible voters, as reported by the Central Election Commission.
Early voting for the presidential election was conducted from January 21 to 25.
The Central Election Commission noted that 41.81 percent of eligible voters participated during the early voting period, designed for those unable to vote on election day.
Previously, the Central Election Commission confirmed the establishment of polling stations for the presidential elections.
The president is elected for a term of five years. A two-term limit was reinstated following amendments to the constitution in 2022 and will be enforced after this election.
According to the law, the president of Belarus is chosen through direct elections, with a candidate needing to secure over 50 percent of the vote to be elected. If no candidate meets this majority, the top two candidates will proceed to a second round, where the candidate with a simple majority will win.
Presidential elections are held every five years. In the previous election on August 9, 2020, Lukashenko was reelected for a sixth term, achieving 80.1 percent of the vote.
