Despite some hope for progress, Belarusian elections fall again into familiar undemocratic pattern | Democracy, elections and voting at Democracy Chronicles

AFP — Belarus strongman Alexander Lukashenko looked on Monday to the EU to ease sanctions against his regime after a landslide electoral win, but international observers said the poll was tainted by irregularities. Once dubbed “Europe’s last dictator” by Washington, Lukashenko, 61, won a fifth consecutive term on Sunday, picking up 83.5 percent of the vote,…

Belarusians were voting Sunday in an election that is likely to see authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko claim a fifth term. The Belarusian opposition boycotts the elections. RFI: How “free and fair” are these elections? Andrei Sannikov: It is not an election. It is a sham election, because there is no competition. There is a scenario of…