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AFP
Minsk
Belarus leader Alexander Lukashenko held his presidential inauguration in secret on Wednesday after claiming victory in disputed polls that his opposition rivals have described as massively rigged.
A number of European countries including Germany responded by refusing to recognise him as the legitimate president of the ex-Soviet state, as the EU has proposed sanctions over vote violations and police violence.
His opposition rival Svetlana Tikhanovskaya reiterated her claim to be the true winner of the elections in a statement, saying that the “so-called inauguration is of course a farce.”
Lukashenko has faced massive demonstrations against his rule since claiming victory with more than 80 percent of the vote in a presidential election on August 9, with tens of thousands marching at the latest protest in the capital Minsk on Sunday.
The date of his inauguration had not been announced, but on Wednesday, the Belta state news agency broke the news that he had “taken office as President of Belarus.”
Belta said the ceremony was taking place in the Palace of Independence, which houses the president’s offices, while it was not shown live on state television.
“If the inauguration had been announced in advance, 200,000 demonstrators would have gathered outside his palace,” said Ales Belyatsky, head of the Viasna rights group.
He predicted Lukashenko’s assuming office while seen by many as an “illegitimate president” would trigger “even larger mass protests.”
Lukashenko’s pushing ahead with inauguration despite elections described by the EU as not free or fair prompted many countries to refuse to acknowledge his presidency.
Germany does not recognise Lukashenko as president of Belarus, declared government spokesman, Steffen Seibert, saying his re-election lacked “democratic legitimacy.”
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24/09/2020
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