2006 Belarusian presidential election

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The Belarusian presidential election was held on 19 March 2006. President Alexander Lukashenko won his third term against three other candidates: unified democratic opposition candidate Alaksandar Milinkievič, Sergei Gaidukevich, and Alyaksandr Kazulin. Lukashenko had been in office since 1994. He consolidated his power and abolished presidential term limits in a 2004 referendum. The United States and the European Union criticized him for a poor human rights record and authoritarian rule. While Russia and Belarus had formally established the Union State in 1999, the relationship had experienced tensions due to difficulties in implementing full integration. The Orange Revolution in Ukraine and the Rose Revolution in Georgia prompted Russia to back Lukashenko's re-election. The Central Election Commission of Belarus announced the results on 23 March, claiming Lukashenko won with 84.4% of the vote. The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe concluded that the election "failed...

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