President Alyaksandr Lukashenka's motorcade drove through the empty streets of the Belarusian capital, Minsk, on September 23 for an unannounced inauguration ceremony. The swearing-in ceremony was moved up amid mass protests over his reelection last month.
Lukashenka's Lonely Inauguration: No Pomp Under These Circumstances
![Lukashenka's motorcade moves along the empty Independence Avenue in Minsk, which was closed to traffic in the morning.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/gdb.rferl.org/db2fdfd1-eec1-4d5f-8d9a-82b70fe3b2bb_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Lukashenka's motorcade moves along the empty Independence Avenue in Minsk, which was closed to traffic in the morning.
![The streets around Independence Palace were empty ahead of the secret inauguration.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/gdb.rferl.org/53207f93-1857-47d5-a248-dbbdcafab2d9_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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The streets around Independence Palace were empty ahead of the secret inauguration.
![A large number of security officers were seen near Independence Palace, where the swearing-in ceremony took place.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/gdb.rferl.org/1da7bb61-6bb8-4b52-947b-614c9d0118eb_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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A large number of security officers were seen near Independence Palace, where the swearing-in ceremony took place.
![Independence Avenue was closed for traffic.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/gdb.rferl.org/982c6102-de6d-49d8-9e2c-b30c45c207ca_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Independence Avenue was closed for traffic.
![Security vehicles near Independence Palace](https://cdn.statically.io/img/gdb.rferl.org/882abd5e-81fa-4765-8481-f734f93f1c1c_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Security vehicles near Independence Palace
![The empty streets of Minsk on September 23](https://cdn.statically.io/img/gdb.rferl.org/9ac91e5f-658a-4877-ac70-c2847d7574f2_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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The empty streets of Minsk on September 23
![Lukashenka's motorcade on its way to the swearing-in ceremony](https://cdn.statically.io/img/gdb.rferl.org/b26062c5-2d7d-4cf7-ac05-3bba1bbced66_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Lukashenka's motorcade on its way to the swearing-in ceremony
![Lukashenka was sworn in for a sixth term in front of several senior officials. He put his right hand on the constitution and took the oath of office, before signing it.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/gdb.rferl.org/8875a965-18b3-4ced-9c88-be374308b18a_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Lukashenka was sworn in for a sixth term in front of several senior officials. He put his right hand on the constitution and took the oath of office, before signing it.
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