August 10, 2020 | 3:18pm | Updated August 10, 2020 | 3:32pm

White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said Monday that Belarus must allow peaceful protests following a disputed election.

Belarus strongman Alexander Lukashenko claims he won re-election Sunday with more than 80 percent of the vote. But his top challenger, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, claims she actually won.

“We are deeply concerned by the Belarus presidential election,” McEnany said at a White House press briefing.

“Severe restrictions on ballot access for candidates, prohibition of local independent observers at polling stations, intimidation of opposition candidates and the detention of peaceful protesters and journalists have marred the process and we urge the Belarusian government to respect the right of people to peaceably assemble and to refrain from the use of force,” she said.

Lukashenko, a former Soviet official, often is called “Europe’s last dictator.” He’s been president of Belarus since 1994 and is known for intolerance toward political dissent.

The 65-year-old president contracted COVID-19 last month after claiming saunas and vodka could defeat the virus.

The size of opposition rallies ahead of Sunday’s election suggested Lukashenko could be in a close race.