Belarus' opposition activists and Western officials on Monday denounced an orchestrated election that extends the more than three-decade rule of authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko. The country's exiled opposition leader called the result “sheer nonsense.

No credible opponents were allowed to run against Alexander Lukashenko, who has ruled Belarus since the 1990s.

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Europe’s longest-serving leader won re-election in a contest widely believe to have been rigged. The result cements the power of a leader whose country is considered Russia’s staunchest ally.

Over the years, the country’s leadership has remained unchanged, with President Alexander Lukashenko securing repeated victories since Belarus gained independence. As political