BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union rejected the election in Belarus on Sunday as illegitimate and threatened new sanctions. Belarus held an orchestrated vote virtually guaranteed to give 70-year-old autocratic President Alexander Lukashenko yet another term on top of his three decades in power.

Final votes are still being counted and the result isn't expected to be released until later on Monday morning but state television predict Lukashenko winning with almost 88% of the vote. #EuropeNews

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has called the presidential "elections" in Belarus an affront to democracy and does not recognise the legitimacy of Alexander Lukashenko. Source: Kaja Kallas on X (Twitter),