Lukashenko extends rule after Belarus election rejected by opposition and EU

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has been in power since 1994 (AP)

Belarus’ authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko has extended his more than three decades in power after an orchestrated election that the opposition and the European Union rejected as a sham.

The Central Election Commission declared Mr Lukashenko the winner in the early hours of Monday and reaffirmed it later in the morning, saying the strongman leader garnered nearly 87% of the vote after a campaign in which four token challengers all praised his rule.