Russian President Vladimir Putin today congratulated his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko, who was re-elected yesterday without opposition for a seventh term, and praised his "political authority", Agence France-Presse reported, citing the Kremlin, BTA reports.
"Your convincing victory in the elections clearly testifies to your great political authority, as well as to the unquestionable support of the population for the path that Belarus is taking", says Putin's message published on the Kremlin website.
The Russian president added that he will strive for even closer cooperation between Russia and Belarus during Lukashenko's new term.
The spokesman for the Russian president Dmitry Peskov assured that the elections were "completely legitimate, well-organized and transparent".
Chinese President Xi Jinping also sent a "congratulatory message" to the Belarusian leader, China's Xinhua news agency reported.
For her part, Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who lives in exile and whose husband is a prisoner in Belarus, called the elections "a farce". She thanked Belarusian citizens who took part in demonstrations abroad against Lukashenko on election day.
"Your courage and solidarity are a strong reminder that Belarusian citizens will never stop fighting for freedom, democracy and a European future," she wrote.
Last night, Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski mocked the Belarusian president's high election result.
"Will there be enough prison cells for those who didn't vote for him," Sikorski wrote.
Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys, for his part, criticized Belarusian authorities for calling their country "Russia's military backyard."
Belarus is among Moscow's main allies, and its territory was used by Russian forces to invade Ukraine in February 2022, AFP notes.