How did Alexander Lukashenko become president of Belarus in 1994?

Alexander Lukashenko became the president of Belarus in 1994 following the adoption of a new constitution in March of that year, which officially created the office of the presidency.12

Lukashenko, who had been elected to the parliament of the Belorussian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1990, was a pro-Russian politician known for his communist principles and his opposition to the 1991 dissolution of the Soviet Union. Following the constitutional changes, he was elected to the newly established presidential post in July 1994.312

After his election, Lukashenko moved to consolidate his authority, eventually securing near-absolute power through a widely disputed 1996 referendum that allowed him to rule by decree and extend his term in office.31