The march of democracy hit a wall in Belarus, as dictator Alexander Lukashenko swept to victory in rigged elections over the weekend. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has called him "Europe's last dictator," but Europe's newest dictator Vladimir Putin is helping out his comrade-in-harm.

"The election has highlighted a high civic activity of the population, the Belarusian people's interest in stability and continuation of the socially-oriented policy," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement Monday. "The Belarusians have clearly expressed their will, and it must be viewed with respect."...

the Russian Foreign Ministry said that "there is every reason to believe that the election has been held in conformity with universally-recognized standards, and its legitimacy is beyond any doubt."

Of course, Putin's regime would have such things to say about a campaign in which Lukashenko shut down opposition press; arrested, intimidated and murdered political opponents; banned independent election monitors; and threatened to "wring the necks" of protesters. Even the normally pliant Europeans were aghast at the charade.

The European Union says it may impose sanctions against Belarus whose authoritarian president was re-elected a day earlier in a vote that officials across Europe say was neither free nor fair.

Alexander Lukashenko (loo-kuh-SHEN0-koh) had the vast majority of the vote.

E-U External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner called sanctions "very likely," notably a wider travel ban on Belarus officials. The E-U's current ban covers only half a dozen or so people, but Lukashenko is not among them.

Separately, the Council of Europe, the continent's premier human rights organization, called Lukashenko's re-election "a farce."

Lukashenko is a truly evil tyrant, so the people of Belarus need all the support they can get.

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