Today Minsk"s Palace of Independence has hosted the inauguration of the newly elected President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, who took the oath of office with his hand on the Constitution swearing to faithfully serve the people of Belarus, respect and protect human rights and freedoms and conscientiously fulfill the high duty assigned to him. After that, the newly elected President received the president"s certificate by the Central Election Commission Chair. Addressing the country"s citizens, Alexander Lukashenko stressed he was overwhelmed with pride in a united society and in millions of citizens of the free Belarus.<br>The ceremony was attended by more than a thousand guests, including high officials, parliamentarians, representatives of the diplomatic corps and foreign guests.<br>The inauguration was covered by more than 100 foreign journalists. The festivities continued in State Flag Square with the military taking the oath of loyalty to the Belarusian people and the President. The ceremony will end with a gala concert, scheduled to take place during afternoon in the Palace of the Republic.<br>The inauguration ceremony is an important starting point of a new era in politics, economy, social development and strengthening of Belarusian sovereignty and independence.<br>The presidential elections in Belarus were held on 11 October, 2015, resulting in the victory of incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko with over 83% of the votes.<br>A TV version of the inauguration and a gala concert will be aired on the TV channels Belarus 1 and Belarus 24 at 21:00.
