Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko took the oath of office at a secret ceremony on September 23 in a move his opponents attributed to his desire to avoid crowds of demonstrators in Minsk who have held historic protests against his disputed re-election. The date of his inauguration for a sixth term had not been announced, but on Wednesday morning, the Belta state news agency broke the news that "Alexander Lukashenko has taken office as President of Belarus." This event caused spontanious demonstrations in Minsk. Some protesters were detained.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko took the oath of office at a secret ceremony on Wednesday in a move his opponents attributed to his desire to avoid crowds of demonstrators who have held historic protests against his disputed re-election. The date of his inauguration for a sixth term had not been announced, but on Wednesday morning, the Belta state news agency broke the news that "Alexander Lukashenko has taken office as President of Belarus." This event caused spontanious demonstrations in Minsk. Some protesters were detained.