President Lukashenko of Belarus has been secretly sworn in for a new term without further notice. Normally this ceremony would have been accompanied by a lot of pomp, but apparently the regime in Minsk has refrained from doing so. After an escort drove through the streets of Minsk this morning, rumors of an impending inauguration of the dictator had already started.
Lukashenko claimed after the August 9 elections that he had won a major victory, but that claim is highly controversial in both Belarus and the international community.
The Belarusian opposition has accused Lukashenko of widespread fraud and there have been repeated protests against the retention of the president, who has been in power since 1994.
Serve the people
The European Union and the US are threatening sanctions against the country. The demonstrations have led to more than 10,000 arrests, according to the UN, hundreds of people have been tortured.
Several hundred people were present at the inauguration of Lukashenko in Minsk. He pledged to “serve the people of Belarus and respect and protect the rights and freedoms of citizens”. “I cannot and must not abandon the Belarusians,” he said.
Lying government officials
But there are critical voices from the opposition regarding the secret inauguration. “Where are the rejoicing people? Where are the representatives of other countries?” one politician wondered. “Lukashenko is clearly just the president of the security forces and a handful of lying government officials.”
“What a sham,” tweeted Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linkevicius. “Forget those elections. It is illegal to stay on, with all the consequences that entails.”
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