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A30     world news
               Diahuebs 24 september 2020

                     Belarus president sworn in at unannounced inaugural ceremony



                                                                                                   unexpected inauguration will
                                                                                                   only deepen the Belarus po-  Rallies  also  took  place  in
                                                                                                   litical  crisis,  and  Latvia  will  Brest,  Vitebsk,  Grondo  and
                                                                                                   “leave open diplomatic chan-  other cities.
                                                                                                   nels for cooperation with Be-  Alexander  Klaskousky,  an
                                                                                                   larus at the technical level.”  independent   Minsk-based
                                                                                                                                analyst, said the secrecy sur-
                                                                                                   The Kremlin refused to com-  rounding  the  inaugural  cer-
                                                                                                   ment  on  the  inauguration.  emony  illustrated  the  threat
                                                                                                   Spokesman  Dmitry  Peskov  the  unrest  poses  to  Lukash-
                                                                                                   said  he  wouldn't  comment  enko's grip on power.
                                                                                                   on  “an  absolutely  sovereign,  “The  secret  inauguration  il-
                                                                                                   internal  decision  of  the  Be-  lustrates the level of trust of
                                                                                                   larusian leadership.”        the  leader  in  the  official  re-
                                                                                                   Anti-Lukashenko    protests  sults of the election and in the
                                                                                                   have rocked the country daily  people. Those who officially
                                                                                                   since  the  election,  with  the  got 80% of the votes don’t act
                                                                                                   largest  rallies  in  Minsk  at-  like  that,”  Klaskousky  said.
                                                                                                   tracting  up  to  200,000  peo-  Lukashenko  has  bristled  at
                                                                                                   ple. In the first three days of  suggestions of starting a dia-
                                                                                                   protests, police used tear gas,  logue  with  the  opposition.
                                                                                                   truncheons  and  rubber  bul-  Amid  international  outrage
                                                                                                   lets to disperse crowds. Sev-  over  the  violent  crackdown
                                                                                                   eral  protesters  died,  many  on  the  protests,  Belarusian
                                                                                                   were injured and more than  authorities switched to pros-
                                                                                                   7,000  were  detained.  The  ecuting  top  activists.  Many
            (AP) — President Alexander  tion  only  proved  that  Lu-                              Viasna  human  rights  group  members  of  the  Coordina-
            Lukashenko  of  Belarus  was  kashenko  lacked  a  valid  The  United  States  and  the   said  several  protesters  were  tion Council that was formed
            sworn  in  Wednesday  to  his  mandate to continue leading  European Union have ques-  detained  near  the  palace  on  by the opposition to push for
            sixth term in office at an in-  the country, according to his  tioned the election and criti-  Wednesday morning, holding  a  transition  of  power  have
            augural  ceremony  that  was  political  opponents  and  Eu-  cized the brutal police crack-  banners that said, “The king  been  arrested  or  forced  to
            not  announced  in  advance  ropean officials.            down on peaceful protesters   has no clothes” and “Victory  leave  the  country.  A  promi-
            amid weeks of huge protests                               during  the  first  few  days  of   (will belong to) the people.”  nent  council  member,  Pavel
            of  the  authoritarian  leader's  “Even after this ceremony to-  demonstrations.  The  EU  is                       Latushko,  compared  the  in-
            reelection, which the opposi-  day, Mr. Lukashenko cannot  pondering  sanctions  against   In the evening, thousands of  auguration to a “gathering of
            tion says was rigged.        claim  democratic  legitimi-  top  Belarusian  officials,  but   people took to the streets in  thieves”  and  refused  to  rec-
                                         zation,  which  would  be  the  failed  to  agree  on  impos-  different  parts  of  Minsk  to  ognize Lukashenko as presi-
            One opposition leader called  condition  to  recognize  him  ing  them  this  week.  Lithu-  denounce  the  inauguration.  dent.
            the  secretive  ceremony  “a  as the legitimate president of  anian Foreign Minister Linas   They were met with a heavy
            farce,” and several European  Belarus,”  said  Steffen  Seib-  Linkevicius  called  the  inau-  response  from  police,  who  “For us, the citizens of Belar-
            countries reiterated that they  ert,  spokesman  for  German  guration “a farce.”      blocked  off  some  areas  of  us, for the international com-
            don’t  recognize  the  results  Chancellor  Angela  Merkel.  “Forged elections. Forged in-  the city center and used wa-  munity,  he  is  a  nobody.  An
            of the election and refuse to  He  added  that  the  secrecy  auguration. The former pres-  ter  cannons  and  truncheons  unfortunate  error  of  history
            regard  Lukashenko  as  the  surrounding the swearing-in  ident of Belarus does not be-  to  disperse  them.  Over  140  and a disgrace of the civilized
            legitimate  president.  In  the  was “very telling.” Lukashen-  come less former. Quite the   people  were  detained,  ac-  world," Latushko said on the
            evening, thousands of people  ko has run Belarus, a former  contrary. His illegitimacy is a   cording to the Viasna group,  messaging app Telegram. "We
            took to the streets in the capi-  Soviet nation of 9.5 million,  fact with all the consequences   and  dozens  were  injured  in  will never agree with the fal-
            tal  of  Minsk  to  protest  the  with an iron fist for 26 years.  that this entails,” Linkevicius   the clashes.   sification  (of  the  election)
            inauguration  and  were  met  Official  results  of  the  coun-  tweeted. Other European of-  Protests  continued  into  late  and  are  demanding  a  new
            with a strong response from  try's Aug. 9 presidential elec-  ficials echoed the sentiment.  evening  despite  the  crack-  vote.  We  urge  everyone  to
            police.                      tion had him winning 80% of  In   neighboring    Poland,   down,  with  groups  of  dem-  engage in indefinite civil dis-
            The  ceremony  was  held  in  the vote. His strongest oppo-  Prime  Minister  Mateusz   onstrators  blocking  roads  in  obedience!”
            front of several hundred dig-  nent,  Sviatlana  Tsikhanous-  Morawiecki  called  for  an   various parts of the capital.
            nitaries  at  the  ornate  Palace  kaya, got 10%.         “honest  election,”  saying  on
            of  Independence  in  Minsk,                              Facebook  that  the  secretive
            the  state  news  agency  Belta  Tsikhanouskaya,  who  is  in  nature  of  the  swearing  in
            said. Police and other security  exile  in  neighboring  Lithua-  ”only confirms that Lukash-
            forces blocked off parts of the  nia after being forced to leave  enko is aware of what he has
            city and public transportation  Belarus,  says  the  outcome  done,  rigging  the  results  of
            was suspended.               was invalid, as have the tens  the election."
                                         of thousands of her support-
            Lukashenko,  66,  took  the  ers who continue to demand  "He is  aware that he  has  no
            oath  of  office  in  Belarusian  Lukashenko's   resignation  backing from his own nation
            with  his  right  hand  on  the  during  more  than  six  weeks  and  that  the  aggression  that
            constitution, and the head of  of mass protests.          he is allowing himself against
            the  Central  Election  Com-  “The people haven’t handed  the people of Belarus is inad-
            mission handed him the of-   him  a  new  mandate,”  she  missible,” Morawiecki said.
            ficial ID card of the president  said, calling the inauguration  Czech  Foreign  Minister  To-
            of  Belarus.  “The  day  of  as-  was “a farce” and an attempt  mas  Petricek  tweeted  that
            suming the post of the presi-  by Lukashenko to “proclaim  “the elections in Belarus were
            dent is the day of our victory,  himself legitimate.”     neither free nor fair. The re-
            convincing  and  fateful,”  he  “I, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya,  sult  is  therefore  illegitimate,
            said. “We were not just elect-  am  the  only  leader  that  has  which  is  why  today’s  inau-
            ing the president of the coun-  been  elected  by  the  Belaru-  guration  of  Alexander  Lu-
            try — we were defending our  sian  people.  And  our  goal  kashenko is also illegitimate.”
            values, our peaceful life, sov-  right now is to build the new  Latvian  Foreign  Ministry
            ereignty and independence.”  Belarus together,” she said in  press  secretary  Janis  Bekeris
            The  absence  of  public  in-  a video from Lithuania's capi-  told the Baltic News Service
            volvement  in  the  inaugura-  tal, Vilnius.              agency  that  they  believe  the
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