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The Associated Press said Lukashenko took office as Belarusian president for a sixth term on September 23 after weeks of protests against the leader’s re-election.
Belarus’ state news agency Belta reported that the opening ceremony was held in the capital Minsk, with the presence of hundreds of senior government officials, legislators, representatives of media organizations and celebrities. another language.
Mr. Lukashenko, 66, said at the ceremony: “The inauguration day is our day of victory, compelling and fateful. We are not only electing the president of the country, but also defending our His values, peaceful life, sovereignty and independence ”.
Mr. Lukashenko spoke at the opening ceremony on September 23. Photo: AP
Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius called the September 23 inauguration “a sham”. German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s spokesperson Steffen Seibert said that even after today’s inauguration, Lukashenko could not declare democratic legalization, a condition for recognizing him as the legitimate president of Belarus.
A senior member of the opposition Coordination Council, Pavel Latushko, announced that he did not recognize Lukashenko as the president of Belarus.
“For us citizens of Belarus, for the international community, he is nobody,” said the person on the Telegram messaging app.
The opening time and location are not disclosed in advance. The security forces blocked the central area of the capital Minsk on the morning of September 23 and suspended public transport services.
The human rights organization Viasna said several protesters were arrested near the Independence Palace, where the ceremony took place. They carried banners that read “The king is not real” and “Victory (will belong to) the people.”
Mr. Lukashenko led Belarus, a former Soviet Union country with 9.5 million inhabitants, for 26 years. The official result of the presidential elections on August 9, Mr. Lukashenko won 80% of the votes. His strongest rival, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, has only 10%. However, the European Union (EU) and the Belarusian opposition denounced this election as a fraud. Not even Tsikhanouskaya accepted the results of the vote and left the country.
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