Putin: Russia considers elections in Belarus complete
Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview on Rossiya 1 TV channel that the presidential elections, which were held in Belarus in early August, can be considered complete.
"We assume that the elections have been completed," he said.
Putin congratulated Lukashenko on his victory before the official results were announced. In a congratulatory address, the Russian president said that he expects to deepen cooperation within the framework of the Union State and expressed hope that Lukashenko's activities will further develop mutually beneficial relations between the two countries.
Presidential elections in Belarus were held between August 4 and August 9. According to the Central Election Commision of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, who has been in power for 26 years, received 80.1% of the vote, and 10.1% voted for his main opponent Svetlana Tikhanovskaya.
The results of the elections in Belarus were not recognized by the United States, Canada, Great Britain and the countries of the European Union, including Belarus’ geographical neighbors - Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.
The Belarusian opposition also did not recognize the results of the elections because of mass fraud at polling stations and formed the Coordinating Council for the Transfer of Power. Since August 10, after the announcement of preliminary results, protests began in the country. They have been severely suppressed by the country's security forces. Protesters are demanding new elections.
Earlier,at Lukashenko's request, Putin formed a reserve of law enforcement officers, which, according to the Russian president, will not be used until "extremist elements" start to set fire to cars, banks, and seize administrative buildings.
Lukashenko, for his part, noted that "no soldiers from Russia have yet crossed the border." However, he stressed that neither he nor Putin "will flinch neither his voice, nor his hand, nor the foot in order to tackle anyone who twitches on the western border of the Union State."
According to many political scientists, public figures of Russia and ordinary citizens, one small provocation will be sufficient for Putin to deploy the reserve forces to Belarus.