The inauguration of the President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko was held in accordance with the requirements of the laws of the republic. This was announced on Wednesday, September 23, to RIA Novosti in the press service of the country’s Ministry of Justice.
“The procedure for the inauguration of the President of the Republic of Belarus on September 23 was carried out in strict accordance with the requirements of the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus <...> The procedure was held in a solemn atmosphere. The timing of the inauguration of the President of the Republic of Belarus fully complies with the basic law, ”the agency was told.
The ministry also added that part 5 of article 10 of the law “On the President of the Republic of Belarus” states that the inauguration ceremony should be broadcast on television and radio of the country, which will be shown on September 23 at 21:00 (coincides with Moscow time). At the same time, there is no special clause that the broadcast should be live, so in this case the law is not violated.
Lukashenka’s inauguration took place at the Palace of Independence in the Belarusian capital, the date of the ceremony was not advertised. Lukashenko vowed to faithfully serve the people, observe and defend the Constitution of the republic, and also declared the failure of the color revolution in the country.
The ceremony was attended by several hundred people, among them: senior officials, parliamentarians, heads of government agencies and organizations, local executive and administrative bodies and republican media, as well as scientists, culture and sports. Also, the ceremony was attended by Belarusian servicemen, after Lukashenka’s inauguration, they swore an oath of loyalty to the people and the head of state.
At the same time, the authorities of Germany, Slovakia, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia refused to recognize Lukashenko as the president of Belarus after his inauguration.
The presidential elections in Belarus were held on August 9. From that moment on, protests by the opposition, disagreeing with the results, have continued in the country. According to the CEC, Alexander Lukashenko won with 80.1% of the vote.
Opposition candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya refused to acknowledge the election results and called on the international community to support the demonstrators. The EU and the USA considered Lukashenko illegitimate. Until September 24, European countries are planning to impose sanctions against Minsk.