Ukraine, US do not recognize Lukashenko as president of Belarus
(Baonghean.vn) - Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba, as well as the US State Department, both issued statements that Alexander Lukashenko's inauguration does not mean he is recognized as the legitimate president of Belarus.
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| Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. Photo: AP |
Election resultsPresident of BelarusOn August 9, Alexander Lukashenko won, with 80.1% of the votes.
By law, the inauguration of the president-elect must take place within two months of the election. On September 23, Belarus' Belta news agency reported that Lukashenko had been sworn in as president. The Central Election Commission of Belarus also handed him a certificate.
"Ukraine has never interfered in the internal affairs of Belarus in any way and will always support the Belarusian people. Observing the election process in Belarus and the events that followed, the "inauguration" of A. Lukashenko does not mean that he is recognized as the legitimate head of Belarus" - Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba wrote on Twitter.
Not only Ukraine, the US State Department also issued a statement, not considering Mr. Lukashenko as the legitimate president of Belarus.
"The August 9 election was neither democratic nor fair. The announced results were fabricated and do not reflect legitimacy. The United States cannot consider Alexander Lukashenko to be the legitimately elected leader of Belarus," the US State Department commented on President Lukashenko's inauguration on September 23.
Meanwhile, in Belarus, the opposition continues to protest the election results and organize protests.
According to official figures, more than 6,700 radical protesters were detained in the first days. Parallel to the opposition, President Lukashenko's supporters also took to the streets to protest, defending the election results.