‘Special trust and support’: Lukashenka congratulates Putin on victory

Belarus president Alyaksandr Lukashenka has congratulated Vladimir Putin on his victory in the presidential elections in the Russian Federation.

“This result demonstrates the Russian citizens’ special trust and support of the course toward sustainable social and economic development of the country, strengthening of its authority in the international stage. I am sure that the historical ties of friendship and mutual understanding of our people will ensure the further expansion of the Belarusian-Russian strategic partnership,” the message reads.

“We are looking forward to welcoming you in our country for holding a meeting of the Supreme State Council of the Union State and discussing topical issues of bilateral cooperation,” Lukashenka says.

Putin has already received congratulations from China’s Xi Jinping, Kazakhstan’s Nursultan Nazarbayev, Cuban leader Raul Castro, Serbian president Aleksandar Vučić, Azerbaijan’s Ilham Aliyev and Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro.

Russia’s incumbent president Vladimir Putin has got 76.65% of the vote in the March 18 election with 99% of the ballots counted, Tass reports with reference to the Central Election Commission.

Director of the Lenin State Farm Pavel Grudinin, nominated by the Communist Party of Russia, is second with 11.82% of the vote, while leader of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR) Vladimir Zhirinovsky is third with 5.68%.

Ksenia Sobchak, nominated by the Civil Initiative party, is fourth with 1.66%. Next are head of the Yabloko Party’s federal political committee Grigory Yavlinsky (1.04%), chairman of the Party of Growth and Russian Presidential Envoy for Entrepreneurs’ Rights Boris Titov (0.75%), Maxim Suraikin, nominated by the Communists of Russia party (0.68%) and head of the Russian People’s Union party Sergei Baburin (0.65%).

Voter turnout in the Russian presidential election reached 67.4% as of 6.52 a.m. (Moscow Time).

belsat.eu

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