Alexander Lukashenko, who has ruled the ex-Soviet state for 31 years, held a four-hour press conference musing that some of his opponents "chose prison", after winning 88 per cent of the vote.

Britain on Monday imposed sanctions targeting Belarusian officials and defence companies after joining Western governments in condemning what they called "sham" presidential elections in the country.

"We are united in our condemnation of the sham presidential elections in Belarus on 26 January and the ongoing human rights violations perpetrated by the Belarusian regime," a joint statement from Australia,

No credible opponents were allowed to run against Alexander Lukashenko, who has ruled Belarus since the 1990s.

On Monday, the British Foreign Office sanctioned a number of individuals and entities in Belarus in response to the presidential election. Alexander Lukashenko was re-elected for a seventh five-year term with a dictatorial score of over 87% of the vote,

Ukraine's Foreign Ministry condemned the recent presidential election in Belarus, calling the vote "a farce" in a statement issued Jan. 27. Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko "won" a seventh consecutive term as president on Jan.