Exit polls in Belarus say that strongman Alexander Lukashenko has won a fifth term as president with more than 80 per cent of the vote in Sunday’s election.<br /><br /> It means the authoritarian leader is poised to pursue his 21 year iron grip on the reins of power.<br /><br /> Often styled as ‘Europe’s last dictator’, he faced no serious challenge with leading opposition figures either barred from standing or boycotting the ballot.<br /><br /> Exit polls showed Lukashenko won 80-84 percent of the vote, slightly more than the 80 percent support he registered in the 2010 elections.<br /><br /> Three other candidates taking part scraped less than 6 percent of the votes each, say the polls.<br /><br /> The EU has been watching closely, with diplomatic sources suggesting that sanctions on Belarus could be lifted if the vote passed off peacefully – avoiding the crackdown that marred the last presidential election.
