Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko was sworn in for his seventh term in office on March 25 at the Independence Palace in Minsk, following his “victory” in presidential elections on January 26.

The Belarusian strongman swore to faithfully serve the people, respect and protect the rights and freedoms of people, observe and protect the nation's constitution.

This year’s election went smoothly, five years after the massively falsified vote in August 2020 sparked the biggest mass protests the country has ever seen and nearly toppled Lukashenko, who has been in power since 1993.

According to the Belarusian Central Election Commission, the incumbent emerged victorious in the January presidential election, surpassing four opponents and securing 86.82% of the vote. Voter turnout stood at 85.69%.

The head of state previously stated that the presidential election in Belarus was conducted at a “high standard,” without the disruptions some in the West had anticipated. As bne IntelliNews has reported, Lukashenko has built up an even more repressive system over the last five years. Most of the leading opposition leaders, including Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who is believed to have won the last elections, have been driven into exile and another 1,200 people, including Tikhanovskaya’s running mate, Maria Kolesnikova, are in jail, according to human rights groups.

In the presence of the more than 1,000 top officials, as well as numerous guests invited to the event, Lukashenko, placing his right hand on the Constitution of Belarus, took the oath in the Belarusian language. He received congratulations from numerous foreign leaders, with Russian President Vladimir Putin among the first to extend his well wishes. Russia was represented by its ambassador to the Republic Boris Gryzlov.

After the inauguration ceremony, Belarusian servicemen took a new oath of allegiance to the people and the president. Lukashenko’s regime has largely been propped up by the security services since the demonstrations five years ago and their loyalty is underpinned by an implicit Kremlin promise to support Lukashenko.

As promised, the newly elected president of Belarus made Russia his first official foreign visit following the election. The visit took place on March 13-15.