Belarus strongman Alexander Lukashenko looked for relief from EU sanctions against his regime on Monday after he thundered to victory in polls in which there were no major opposition protests.

Lukashenko, 61, won a fifth consecutive term by a landslide in Sunday's polls and warned the opposition against protests that could derail the lifting of EU sanctions imposed over rights abuses.

Ahead of the polls EU diplomats had said that Brussels was ready to reconsider sanctions against Lukashenko's regime provided the polls passed off without major protests and in an "acceptable climate."

On Monday, EU foreign ministers were set to consider lifting the Belarussian sanctions, with a decision to be taken before October 31, when the measures expire and must be renewed or scrapped, sources have said.

"We want to re-engage with Belarus," a European source said in the run-up to the polls.

A shrewd operator who Washington once dubbed "Europe's last dictator," Lukashenko has recently raised his standing with the EU by seeking to distance his ex-Soviet nation from Russia.

In a clear attempt to assuage Western criticism, he also released from jail six opposition leaders and won some praise for hosting international peace talks in the capital Minsk.

"Lukashenko won but mass protests and arrests of the opposition did not take place this time," Alexander Klaskovsky, an analyst with Belapan think tank, said.

"It would be enough to confirm minimal progress in these conditions for the normalization of ties with the US and the EU to continue."

In power since 1994, Lukashenko unleashed a crackdown on the opposition and civil society after thousands took to the streets to protest his disputed re-election in December 2010.

Belarus' former Soviet master Russia has been warily eying the ever-opportunistic leader's attempts at rapprochement with the West.

Shortly before Moscow's tensions with the West climbed to new heights over the Kremlin's bombing campaign in Syria, Russian President Vladimir Putin reiterated his interest in setting up an airbase in Belarus.

Putin swiftly congratulated Lukashenko on a "convincing victory" on Monday, expressing the hope the Belarussian strongman would work to strengthen the two countries' "strategic partnership."

In Sunday's election, the veteran ran against three virtual unknowns, with long-standing opposition figures barred from standing in the polls.

He took 83.5 percent of the vote, with his nearest rival Tatiana Korotkevich mustering just 4.42 percent of the ballot.

The result, though preliminary, is the highest ever for Lukashenko whose government made a huge effort to ensure a high turnout of over 87 percent.

"I think the election campaign was civilized, cultured and calm," said Lidiya Yermoshina, head of the electoral commission.

But top opposition leaders including Mikola Statkevich and Anatoly Lebedko said they would not recognize the results of the poll, pointing to what they said were widespread falsifications.