Belarus Leader Extends Rule as Observers Cite Shortcomings

Alexander Lukashenko extended his rule in Belarus into a third decade, crushing opponents in a presidential election that won praise from Germany but condemnation from international observers.

Lukashenko, 61, received 83.5 percent of Sunday’s vote, enough to avoid a runoff, the central election commission’s head, Lidia Ermoshina, said in a televised news conference in the capital, Minsk. German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier credited the incumbent with freeing political prisoners and refraining from a pre-election “crackdown” as often happened during his 21-year reign, signaling a potential thaw in relations with the European Union.