The leaders of Russia and China congratulated Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on winning a seventh term in office. Russian President Vladimir Putin said the 26 January election showed that he had the unquestioned support of the people.

Official results showed the 70-year-old Lukashenko winning more than 86% of the vote, sparking condemnation in the West after he jailed or sent into exile all his main opponents during his 30-year rule.

The Belarusian leader has won every presidential election in the country since 1994. The opposition and human rights organisations say the votes were rigged, AFP reports.

"Your convincing victory in the elections clearly testifies to your great political credibility, as well as to the unquestionable support of the population for the way Belarus is going. You are always a welcome and dear guest on Russian soil. As agreed, I expect to see you soon in Moscow," Putin's message, published on the Kremlin website, said.

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

Beijing and Minsk have drawn closer in recent years. Belarus, which is under Western sanctions, is looking east to secure foreign investment.

Exiled opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya called the elections a "farce" and the EU described them as a "sham".

Lukashenko, a staunch Putin ally, has been waging a ruthless crackdown on his opponents since huge protests against him in 2020.

Rights groups say more than 1,200 political prisoners are jailed in the country. Around 300 of them were released in a pardon by Lukashenko before the vote.

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