BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

08/04/2006

Lukashenko sworn in for third term after disputed election

MINSK, Belarus Alexander Lukashenko (loo-kuh-SHENG'-koh) has been sworn in for a third term as president of Belarus (BEHL'-uh-roos), following an election denounced by the West as undemocratic and fraudulent.

Lukashenko took his oath during a pomp-filled ceremony attended by several thousand officials and lawmakers at the huge Palace of the Republic in Minsk. He received blessings from the head of the Belarusian Orthodox Church and top officials. The audience hailed Lukashenko with a standing ovation.

The building was tightly encircled by police.

In a brief speech, Lukashenko accused the West of fomenting unrest in the ex-Soviet nation. He said "they want to humiliate our nation" and spark the kind of protests that helped oust unpopular governments in other ex-Soviet nations.

Source:

http://www.kron4.com/Global/story.asp?S=4744737&nav=5D7l