Lukashenko Sworn In as 'New' Belarus President

Belarussian president Alexander Lukashenko leaves a car prior the inauguration ceremony in Minsk, Belarus, 21 January, 2011. Photo by EPA/BGNES

Alexander Lukashenko has been sworn in for a fourth five-year term in office as Belorussian president, with the EU envoys boycotting.

The inauguration ceremony took place Friday at the Palace of the Republic in Minsk, where Lukashenko pledged to serve the Belorussian people and also "respect and preserve the rights and freedom of people and citizens."

The ceremony was boycotted by EU Ambassadors in Minsk after the authorities imprisoned some of the opposition's most prominent figures in an unprecedented crackdown in the wake of election protests. Several hundred protesters were arrested and taken away by the police on December 20 2010, including seven presidential candidates.

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