Tuesday September 11, 2001

MINSK, Belarus - Alexander Lukashenko, an outspoken autocrat who is at odds with the West, claimed a sweeping victory yesterday in presidential elections dogged by allegations of vote fraud.

"It was an elegant victory," he told a news conference. Lukashenko called his victory based on counts made by the Central Election Commission.

The victory gave Lukashenko another five-year term and a mandate to pursue his goal of a merger with Russia - and likely further isolate this former Soviet republic in the heart of Eastern Europe.

As voters turned out in gray, drizzly weather to cast ballots, the Central Election Commission reported 75.2 percent participation by early evening - well above the 50 percent required to make the vote valid.

Their choices were Lukashenko, an energetic, 47-year-old former collective farm boss who has ruled this country since 1994; trade union leader Vladimir Goncharik, 61, the main opposition candidate; and Sergei Gaidukevich, 47, a centrist politician.

The voting went peacefully, though a blast blew up a bench outside the U.S. Embassy yesterday evening. No injuries were reported, and it was unclear whether the explosion was linked to the vote.

Tensions soared in this nation of 10 million in the run-up to the vote, with police raids on independent media and opposition campaign offices. In recent weeks, former police agents have accused Lukashenko's government of sponsoring death squads to remove his critics.

Lukashenko has denied the accusations. "You have talked about death so much that people are getting sick of it," he told reporters as he voted yesterday.

Goncharik sounded confident as he cast his ballot but said election monitors were being unfairly restricted, and he warned of vote tampering.

"At any rate, we already won" Goncharik said. "A lot of people feel themselves more free."

European observers had reported no serious irregularities in the balloting yesterday afternoon. But many have protested campaign practices and pressure on opposition groups.

Lukashenko's policies have unnerved many of Belarus' neighbors in Central and Eastern Europe, which are trying to shed their communist pasts and strengthen their ties with the West. Critics dub him the last dictator in Europe.

Neighboring Poland and Lithuania are seeking European Union membership, which will likely further isolate Belarus. And with Poland already in NATO and Lithuania heading there, Belarus is becoming a buffer state between the Western alliance and a Russia hostile to NATO expansion.

Lukashenko, voting at the Minsk Sports Academy, dismissed allegations of vote fixing and brushed off suggestions that the election might not be recognized as valid by the West.

"Our elections do not need anybody's recognition," he said. "There is no such thing in the legislation as Western recognition."

It was Lukashenko's first electoral test since 1996, when he pushed through a referendum that extended his five-year term by two years in a vote most Western governments refused to acknowledge.

Lukashenko remains popular at home for his defiance of the West, and for his efforts to hold together the social safety net and stem the economic turmoil that accompanied the 1991 Soviet collapse. But the economy remains extremely weak and propped up by the government.

He promises to boost wages and the farming and industrial sector. He has also pushed for a full merger with Russia, instead of the loose union that exists now. Russia is more cautious about the plan, as are Lukashenko's challengers.

"Of course, I voted for Lukashenko. He brought up our republic. ... He's paying pensions and salaries on time," retired journalist Vladimir Filimonov, 65, said while voting in central Minsk. Filimonov's pension is $36 a month.

The human rights group Vesna said web sites of opposition newspapers and rights organizations were shut down for several hours yesterday, and some of their phone lines were down. The move came after the election commission barred Vesna and other groups Saturday from monitoring the elections and tallying their own vote counts.