The victory of President Alexander Lukashenko in the Belarussian presidential elections has prompted mixed reactions. Mr Lukashenko won a landslide victory in Sunday's elections, securing a third five-year term in office. However, the opposition say the vote was unfair.WINNING CANDIDATE ALEXANDER LUKASHENKO
The revolution that was so much talked about, so much prepared for, failed. It couldn't be otherwise.
MAIN OPPOSITION CANDIDATE ALEXANDER MILINKEVICH
These were not elections in Belarus but an unconstitutional seizure of power. We consider the (new) Belarussian authorities will be illegitimate.
OSCE STATEMENT
Arbitrary use of state power and widespread detentions showed a disregard for the basic rights of freedom of assembly, association and expression, and raise doubts regarding the authorities' willingness to tolerate political competition.
HEAD OF MOSCOW-LED OBSERVERS VLADIMIR RUSHAILO
Prejudiced statements, harsh announcements, as well as warnings from several countries on the eve of the elections about their readiness to take various restrictive measures of a political and economic character... the CIS observers see these as attempts to influence the course of the election process in its final stage.
POLISH PRIME MINISTER KAZIMIERZ MARCINKIEWICZ
The regime has gone through elections in an undemocratic way. We are dealing with another problem. We will continue activities toward Belarus that will allow democracy and freedom to arrive there.
AUSTRIAN FOREIGN MINISTER URSULA PLASSNIK
The climate of intimidation and hindering of the opposition to do their work was upsetting... We (the EU) will discuss what policy consequences we draw from this situation.
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