Belarusian leader and Russian ally Alexander Lukashenko extended his 31-year rule on Monday after electoral officials declared him the winner of a presidential election that Western governments rejected as a sham.

Alexander Lukashenko, Europe’s longest-serving leader, has extended his 31-year rule in Belarus after being declared the winner of a presidential election that his exiled opponents and Western countries have denounced as a sham.

Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko declared himself the winner in the country's so-called presidential elections, in which zero members of the country's opposition were allowed to take part. According to the country's authorities,