Europe's 'last dictator' gets his way

Belarusians overwhelmingly approved a referendum on scrapping presidential term limits, the Central Elections Commission announced today, allowing the authoritarian leader of the former Soviet republic to seek a new term in 2006.

Opposition figures claimed that yesterday’s vote was rigged in order to allow Alexander Lukashenko, often branded as Europe’s last dictator, to stay in power. He has led the nation of 10 million since 1994.