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Belarusian head of state Alexander Lukashenko
Photo: BelTA / dpa
The controversial head of state Alexander Lukashenko was inducted into the presidency of Belarus for the sixth time.
The 66-year-old surprisingly took the oath on Wednesday morning.
The state media reported in Minsk.
The inauguration happened without notice.
Usually the ceremony is announced days in advance as a major state act.
Pictures of the process were spread on Twitter.
Political scientist Valery Karbelevich told the German press agency in Minsk that the inauguration was scheduled as a secret operation, once again showing that the power apparatus is afraid of popular protests that do not recognize the election victory on August 9.
"Mr. Lukashenko has lost all legitimacy"
Before the inauguration, the EU foreign affairs representative Josep Borrell Lukashenko had clearly denied the right to the office of president.
It is a "pseudo-inauguration," wrote Borrell in a blog entry published on Tuesday.
"Mr. Lukashenko has lost all legitimacy," he said.
The EU does not recognize the re-election of Lukashenko and is planning sanctions against around 40 Belarusian government representatives.
According to the constitution, the inauguration had to take place within two months of the presidential election, i.e. no later than October 9th.
The presidential administration had not announced a date until the end.
The opposition accuses Lukashenko of electoral fraud after the vote on August 9th.
Lukashenko had been declared the election winner with 80.1 percent of the vote after 26 years in office.
The opposition, however, considers opposition leader Svetlana Tichanovskaya to be the real winner.
Mass protests have been held every day since the elections and are violently suppressed.
Most recently, hundreds of police and army were deployed during protests in Minsk on Sunday.
Numerous demonstrators were arrested.
There were already 200 arrests on Saturday.
The authorities also blocked metro stations in the city center on Sunday to prevent an influx of people.
The mobile internet didn't work either.
Icon: The mirror
mfh / Reuters
