Belarus election officials said on Monday that President Alexander Lukashenko has won his sixth consecutive term with over 80 per cent of the vote after facing his strongest challenge in 26 years and protests over his cavalier brush-off of COVID-19, political repression and the country's deteriorating economy.

Dozens were injured and thousands detained hours after Sunday's vote, when police brutally broke up mostly young protesters with tear gas and flash-bang grenades. Rights activists said one person died after being run over by a police truck — which the authorities denied.

Opposition supporters said they believe the election results were rigged. Opposition challenger Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who got 9.9 per cent, dismissed the official results as a sham and vowed to dispute them. The opposition has planning more protests.

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