Ignoring calls for an end to his 26-year grip on power, President Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus has been sworn in for a sixth term after an election that the opposition and several foreign governments say was rigged.
Rumours had swept Minsk that the 66-year-old leader, in power since 1994, was preparing for a snap inauguration ceremony when a motorcade swept through the centre of the capital earlier on Wednesday.“Where are the jubilant citizens? Where is the diplomatic corps?” he posted on social media. “It is obvious that Alexander Lukashenko is exclusively the president of the OMON and a handful of lying officials.
Mr Lukashenko, taking the oath for a new five-year term, promised to “faithfully serve the people of the Republic of Belarus, respect and protect the rights and freedoms of the person and of the citizen” and defend the constitution.Despite its population of only 9.5 million, Belarus matters to Russia as a buffer state against NATO and a conduit for Russian exports of oil and gas.At a summit last week, Mr Putin granted Mr Lukashenko a $1.
Belarus authorities have said the police are humane and professional, and have declined to comment on specific allegations of abuses.
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