US rejects results of Belarus vote

The United States on Monday rejected the results of Belarus's presidential election that recorded a landslide win for the incumbent Alexander Lukashenko, and backed opposition calls for a new poll.

"The United States cannot accept as legitimate the election results announced yesterday by the Belarussian central election commission," said a statement read by State Department spokesman Sean McCormack.

McCormack praised Belarus opposition politicians for braving violence, arrest and intimidation to challenge Lukashenko's bid for a third term and said, "We support their call for a new election."

First Published: Mar 21, 2006 00:24 IST