MINSK, Belarus (AP) — At his swearing-in ceremony Friday, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko rejected calls for economic reforms, shattering hopes for a liberalization inspired by the release of political prisoners and a rapprochement with the West.
Lukashenko, who has ruled Belarus with an iron fist since 1994, was elected for his fifth term in office last month in a vote boycotted by the opposition but mildly welcomed by international observers.
The Belarusian president, once dubbed Europe’s last dictator, has skillfully maneuvered between Russia and the West since Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula in March 2014. He has not recognized the annexation and …read more
Source: KXAN
