US election is a ‘travesty for democracy’, says embattled Belarusian leader Lukashenko

America’s long-running and heavily disputed presidential election has made a mockery of democratic values, says Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, who himself is no stranger to wrangles over electoral legitimacy.

Speaking on Saturday, Lukashenko, who has run Belarus since 1994, told reporters to “look at what’s going on with these elections. It is a disgrace, a travesty for democracy.” He added that the process was a cause for “shame.”

While former vice president Joe Biden was touted as the winner of the race on Saturday evening, it is expected that the competition will drag on in the courts as President Donald Trump refuses to concede.

Hundreds of thousands of protestors have taken to the streets in Belarus since Lukashenko declared victory in the controversial August presidential elections, citing irregularities between the polls and the result and calling for the result to be invalidated.

The government has been accused of a brutal crackdown on activists that has left hundreds of people injured and even several dead.

On Saturday, dozens of doctors were arrested at a ‘Medics March’, aimed at maintaining pressure on the president to step down or call new elections. Lukashenko has so far refused, claiming that he will only trigger a new vote once people “have made up their minds.”

As the protest was taking place, Lukashenko was inaugurating a new flagship nuclear power plant, built with a $10 billion loan from Moscow. Neighboring Lithuania, which has been a popular destination for exiled opposition politicians since the election, has expressed concerns over the safety of the plant despite reassurances by the International Atomic Energy Agency.

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