Putin, Xi hail Lukashenko's victory amid Western condemnation

The Russian and Chinese leaders on Monday congratulated Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko for winning a seventh term in office, with Russia's Vladimir Putin saying Sunday's election showed he had the "undoubted" backing of the people.

Official results showed the 70-year-old autocrat winning more than 86 percent of the vote, drawing condemnation in the West, after having imprisoned or exiled all his major opponents during his three-decade rule.

The Belarusian leader has won every presidential election since 1994, in ballots that the opposition and rights groups say are rigged.

"Your convincing victory in the elections clearly testifies to your high political authority and to the undoubted support of the population for the state policy Belarus is pursuing," President Vladimir Putin said, according to the Kremlin.

"You are always a welcome and dear guest on Russian soil. As agreed, I look forward to seeing you soon in Moscow."

Chinese President Xi Jinping also sent a message of congratulations to Lukashenko, Chinese state media reported.

Beijing and Minsk have drawn closer over recent years, with Belarus -- under Western sanctions -- looking east to secure foreign investment.

Exiled opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya called the election a "farce", while the European Union described it as a "sham".

Lukashenko, a staunch Putin ally, has carried out a ruthless crackdown on opponents since huge protests against him in 2020.

Rights groups say the country has jailed more than 1,200 political prisoners -- with around 300 released in pre-vote pardons by Lukashenko.

This time, the candidates picked to run against him campaigned in his favour, while Lukashenko did not take part in debates and said he was not really following the campaign.