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.

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,

China and Russia offered Minsk their congratulations.Exiled opposition figurehead Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya on Monday dismissed as fraudulent a presidential election that saw Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko declared the winner.