The inauguration of Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko has been put back from its scheduled date of March 31st, an official said today.
Nikolai Lozovik, secretary of the Central Election Commission, said a new date would be set by Mr Lukashenko's administration. He gave no reason for the postponement.
The March 19th re-election of the veteran leader, whose Soviet-style polices have brought condemnation in the West, has been branded as fraudulent by the United States, European Union and international observers.
The outcome of the election sparked unusually large opposition protests, by Belarus's standards, culminating in a major rally last Saturday.
A protest march that followed that rally was broken up by police using teargas and stun grenades. Many demonstrators, including at least one leader of the opposition, were detained.
Immediately after his election, Mr Lukashenko said a Western-inspired attempt to stage a revolution had been averted.
Although he has not been seen in public for several days since, Belarus state television on Tuesday showed him chairing a government meeting.