In Belarus, election commission reports that referendum has passed

Russian news agencies on Monday cited the Belarusian elections commission as saying that some 65.2 percent of people who took part in a referendum voted in favour of the change. The agencies said voter turnout stood at 78.63 percent. The result came as little surprise, given the tightly controlled rule of President Alexander Lukashenko. [...] The constitutional referendum shedding Belarus’s non-nuclear status opens the way for stronger military cooperation with Russia, which deployed forces to Belarusian territory under the pretext of military drills and then sent them rolling into Ukraine as part of the invasion that began on Thursday. The reforms also cement Lukashenko’s 27-year-old grip on power as they allow the president to stay in power until 2035 and give him lifetime immunity from prosecution once he leaves office. Additionally, the reforms give powers to the All-Belarusian People’s Assembly, brought together to determine the country’s priorities for the next five years and possible amendments to the constitution. The assembly was created by Lukashenko and includes party loyalists, local councils, officials and activists of pro-government organisations. The West has said it will not recognise the results of the referendum taking place against the background of a sweeping crackdown on domestic opponents of the government.
Read the full article here: Al Jazeera