More than 150 arrests, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, facing a historic protest movement

---

European states have denounced Mr Lukashenko's stubbornness with Berlin declaring not to recognize him for lack of democratic legitimacy. The US State Department has declared that the United States cannot regard Alexander Lukashenko as the legitimately elected president of Belarus. The August 9 elections were neither free nor fair. The announced results were rigged and do not confer any legitimacy," said a spokesman for American diplomacy.

According to AFP correspondents, several thousand people marched in the evening against the head of state on the Avenue des Vainqueurs, in central Minsk. Water cannons then sprang into action and hooded riot police made dozens of arrests. At least two people were injured by baton blows, according to witnesses interviewed by AFP. Tear gas was also used. Human rights NGO Viasna recorded at least 153 arrests, the vast majority in Minsk, but also in Mogilev, Gomel and other cities.

Cardboard crown

Many demonstrators wore fake cardboard crowns on their heads in an allusion to President Lukashenko's swearing-in.

"We did not choose you!", "You did not take office, you just became completely senile!", One could read on the signs.

Exceptionally, Mr. Lukashenko's investiture ceremony was not announced on Wednesday until it was over, by the state press agency Belta and then the presidency. In the morning, the presidential procession had marched at full speed on the main artery of Minsk, closed to the public, and the forces of order had been deployed in numbers around the presidency.

This so-called inauguration is obviously a farce denounced Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, the main rival of Mr. Lukashenko, who went into exile in Lithuania and who once again claimed his victory in the presidential election.

The German government has meanwhile judged that the secrecy surrounding the inauguration ceremony was revealing of the weaknesses of the regime and that for lack of democratic legitimacy. Berlin did not recognize the re-election of Mr. Lukashenko.

The Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Mark Rutte, also affirmed not to recognize the re-election of Mr. Lukashenko. Lithuanian foreign minister Linas Linkevicius mocked a fraudulent investiture while Latvian diplomacy spokesman argued that it only "worsened" the ongoing political crisis.

Color revolution

For the opposition, this ceremony, which was to take place legally before October 9, was organized on the sly for fear of a new major demonstration. In his speech, Mr. Lukashenko affirmed that his country had resisted a color revolution, a nickname given in the former USSR to popular movements which had brought down several authoritarian regimes since the early 2000s.

He said, our State was facing an unprecedented challenge (...) but we are among the only ones, if not the only ones, in whom the + color revolution + did not work.

He then appeared in military uniform in a speech to soldiers at attention.

Mr Lukashenko told them, You have saved peace on this piece of land, you have defended the sovereignty and independence of our country.

According to him, the West wanted to overthrow him to use Belarus as a springboard for a war against Russia.

Mr. Lukashenko has been confronted since the presidential election of August 9 with an unprecedented challenge, tens of thousands of people taking to the streets every Sunday in Minsk, despite police repression, to denounce his re-election deemed fraudulent.

During the first days, the demonstrations were very violently repressed and thousands of people arrested. Opposition figures were either imprisoned or forced into exile.

Mr. Lukashenko, who accuses the West of having orchestrated the protest, promised a vague constitutional revision to respond to this crisis. But he ruled out any dialogue with detractors of the regime he has led since 1994. Russia assured him of its support, although in the weeks leading up to the presidential election he accused Moscow of seeking to oust him from power in order to vassalize his country. The EU threatens to sanction Minsk, but has not decided on measures, due to internal differences.