On Wednesday, police had cordoned off large parts of Belarus' capital Minsk and it was impossible to reach the Palace of Independence.
During a secret ceremony, the country's authoritarian leader, Alexander Lukashenko, took the oath of office.
Water cannons against protesters
After the ceremony, the streets of Minsk were once again filled with people going out to express their dissatisfaction.
The protesters blocked roads, shouted slogans and were met by heavily equipped police who used water cannons to try to disperse the crowd.
In some places, the police struck with batons against the demonstrators, and several people are arrested and injured after the violent clashes, writes Reuters.
Opposition: Not a legitimate leader
The opposition has called the ceremony a "secret thief".
Svetlana Tichanovskaya, the country's most famous opposition politician, says:
- As of today, he is neither a legal nor a legitimate leader for Belarus.
According to the regime, Lukashenko won the election with 80 percent of the vote, but the election result has been rejected by large parts of the world.
For weeks, the population has taken to the streets and demonstrated.