Belarus: Lukashenko took office in an unannounced ceremony

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, whose re-election in a controversial vote last month led to weeks of mass protests, has assumed his sixth term in an unannounced ceremony.

State media said several hundred people attended the event at the Independence Palace in central Minsk.

An opposition politician compared it to a “secret meeting of thieves”.

There were also reports of beatings and arrests by the police.

Presidential inaugurations are typically advertised well in advance as important state occasions.

Instead, the state news agency Belta reported on Wednesday: “Alexander Lukashenko has assumed the post of President of Belarus. The inauguration ceremony takes place on these minutes in the Palace of Independence.”

Lukashenko, who has ruled the former Soviet republic for 26 years, said Belarus needed security and consensus “on the brink of a global crisis,” an apparent reference to the coronavirus pandemic, Belta reported.

“I cannot, I have no right to abandon the Belarusians,” he added.

The opposition channel Nexta Live on the Telegram messaging app called for street protests starting at 18:00 local time (15:00 GMT) and urged drivers to block roads and create traffic jams.

“From this very day, [Lukashenko] He officially becomes a bandit and con man who is not recognized anywhere in the civilized world, “said the channel.

On Wednesday night, protesters marched into central Minsk, some wearing fake crowns to mock the inauguration. A sign read: “The king has no clothes!”

But there is a heavy police presence and several people have been arrested.

Lukashenko’s main political rival, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who fled to neighboring Lithuania amid mass arrests, said “after today [he] He is not a legal or legitimate head of Belarus. “

His fellow opposition politician Pavel Latushko posted on social media: “Where are the jubilant citizens? Where is the diplomatic corps?”

“It is obvious that Alexander Lukashenko is exclusively the president of the Omon (riot police) and a handful of lying officials.”

He called for “an indefinite action of civil disobedience.”

Meanwhile, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius described the inauguration as a “sham” and “illegitimate” on Twitter.

Analysis by Jonah Fisher, BBC News

This was not the confident takeover of a man who truly believes he has 80% of the country behind him. Everything about him was aimed at avoiding a public reaction.

There was no prior notice that the ceremony would take place, and even while the proceedings were ongoing there were no live broadcasts on state television or radio. An audience of loyal officials arrived by bus and it appears that there were no foreign dignitaries. Not even the Russian ambassador was invited.

The Belarusian opposition immediately called for new demonstrations. But there are valid questions about where the Belarus protest movement is headed.

Although the anti-Lukashenko demonstrations still draw large crowds, particularly over the weekend, they have not caused major fissures in the president’s base of support. The security forces and the military remain loyal and events (like weekend rallies) that were once incredible and unprecedented are now regular and almost routine.

It is clear that Russia, Belarus’ most important ally, sees President Lukashenko as the “least worst” option at the moment. While that remains the case, the Belarusian leader appears determined to ignore the protests and continue.

Ms Tikhanovskaya claims to have won between 60 and 70% in places where the votes were correctly counted.

Many opposition figures are now in self-imposed exile in neighboring countries amid a wave of arrests.

Despite the crackdown, anti-government protests show no signs of abating. On Sunday, a crowd of some 100,000 people organized another demonstration in the capital, demanding that Lukashenko resign.