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The controversial head of state Alexander Lukashenko was inducted into the presidency of Belarus for the sixth time. Surprisingly, the 66-year-old was sworn in on Wednesday morning. State media reported in Minsk.
The inauguration happened without warning. The ceremony is usually announced days in advance as a major state event. Images of the process were posted on Twitter.
Political scientist Valery Karbelevich told the German press agency in Minsk that the inauguration was scheduled as a secret operation, showing once again that the power apparatus fears popular protests that do not recognize the August 9 electoral victory.
“Mr. Lukashenko has lost all legitimacy”
Before taking office, the EU Foreign Affairs representative, Josep Borrell Lukashenko, had clearly denied the right to the office of president. It’s a “pseudo-inauguration,” Borrell wrote in a blog post published Tuesday. “Mr. Lukashenko has lost all legitimacy,” he said. The EU does not recognize the reelection of Lukashenko and is planning sanctions against some 40 representatives of the Belarusian government.
The federal government also announced that it does not recognize Lukashenko as president. His election was neither fair nor free, and therefore “in no way met the minimum requirements of democratic elections,” said government spokesman Steffen Seibert. Lukashenko, therefore, could not invoke democratic legitimation, which also lacks the prerequisite to recognize him as legitimate president. “The fact that this ceremony was secretly prepared and held behind closed doors is very significant,” Seibert said.
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According to the constitution, the inauguration had to take place within two months after the presidential election, that is, no later than October 9. The presidential administration had not announced a date until the end.
The opposition accuses Lukashenko of electoral fraud after the August 9 vote. Lukashenko had been declared the winner of the election with 80.1 percent of the vote after 26 years in office. However, the opposition believes that the leader of the opposition, Svetlana Tichanovskaya, is the real winner.
Mass protests have taken place every day since the elections and are violently repressed. More recently, hundreds of police and military were deployed during protests in Minsk on Sunday. Numerous protesters were arrested. There were already 200 arrests on Saturday.
Authorities also blocked metro stations in the city center on Sunday to prevent the influx of people. The mobile internet didn’t work either.
