Lukashenko is the same, only the Western ruling classes' attitude has changed now that Putin has taken office as their official Satan.

“I’m not Europe’s last dictator anymore,” Lukashenko, said with a chuckle. “There are dictators a bit worse than me, no? I’m the lesser evil already.”

This election takes place at a time when "democratic" efforts to force a change of regime in Belarus (from the one overwhelmingly supported by the population) are on the back-burner. The propaganda war against Belarus has been muted so that relations can be improved to the point where the Belarus card can be played against Russia.

That requires a grudging acknowledgement of the election results showing that the wily socialist President of Belarus is still by far the most popular politician in Europe with the voters. (D. Cameron was reappointed as dictator under the rigged UK electoral system with way less that half that level of support from the politically downtrodden British population.)

The domestic popularity of Belarus' socially-oriented model is the real threat Lukashenko poses to US/EU bankster "democracy" and the reason for the relentless demonisation of the Belarus President and the tireless efforts to delegitimise the choice of the voters of that country.

This propaganda need conflicts with the imminent EU decision to end anti-Belarus sanctions and so a balance will have to be struck: the OSCE assessment of the election will have to be damning but not too damning.

In short and as usual, the new Western policy has been determined and the evidence and facts will be fixed around it.