Alexander Lukashenko , who has ruled Belarus since 1994, secured a seventh term in office following an election widely condemned as fraudulent. Official results gave him an overwhelming 87.6% of the vote. Critics have dismissed the election as a sham, pointing out that the opposition candidates included on the ballot were all aligned with Lukashenko. One such candidate, Sergei Syrankov of the Communist Party, publicly voiced his support for the incumbent, stating his campaign was part of the