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Lukashenko sworn in for the third term

MINSK (Belarus): Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko was sworn in for a third term on Saturday following his re-election denounced by the West as undemocratic and fraudulent. Mr. Lukashenko took his oath during a pomp-filled ceremony attended by several thousand officials and lawmakers at the Palace of the Republic, a huge concrete Soviet-era palace of congresses. The audience hailed Mr. Lukashenko with a standing ovation. The building in downtown Minsk was tightly encircled by police, which also blocked the public from entering other central areas of the Belarusian capital in an apparent effort to prevent the Opposition from mounting rallies. On Friday, Belarusian riot police broke up a demonstration by dozens of Opposition activists in the Minsk central square that was the epicentre of protests against Mr. Lukashenko's re-election last month. Mr. Lukashenko has faced international condemnation of the March 19 election, which he won with 83 per cent of the vote. — AP

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