Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko secured further power for himself in a referendum on Sunday, news agency MIA informs.
The election commission in Minsk said around 65 percent of voters cast ballots in favor of a change to the constitution, while 10 percent voted against, TASS news agency reported.
The amendment intends to allow Lukashenko, who has ruled the country since 1994, to secure further time in office and guarantee him lifelong immunity from prosecution after his eventual withdrawal from politics.
It would also allow Russian troops and nuclear weapons to be permanently stationed in Belarus in future. Lukashenko faces accusations of murder, torture and other serious crimes against humanity following a bloody crackdown on peaceful protests unleashed after he claimed to have won elections seen as rigged.
He is not recognized as president by the European Union. He is also widely believed to have orchestrated a migration crisis in Europe, deliberately bringing people from war-torn regions to borders in retaliation for sanctions.
