(horad); Brest, Homyel', Horad Minsk*, Hrodna, Mahilyow, Minsk,
Vitsyebsk
note: administrative divisions have the same names as their
administrative centers
Independence:
25 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 3 July (1944); note - 3 July 1944 was the date
Minsk was liberated from German troops, 25 August 1991 was the date
of independence from the Soviet Union
Constitution:
30 March 1994; revised by national referendum of 24 November 1996
giving the presidency greatly expanded powers and became effective
27 November 1996; revised again 17 October 2004 removing
presidential term limits
Legal system:
based on civil law system
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Aleksandr LUKASHENKO (since 20 July 1994)
head of government: Prime Minister Sergei SIDORSKY (since 19
December 2003); First Deputy Prime Minister Vladimir SEMASHKO (since
December 2003); Deputy Prime Ministers Andrei KOBYAKOV (since
December 2003), Vladimir DRAZHIN (since 24 September 2001), Ivan
BAMBIZA (since 25 May 2004), Anatoly TYUTYUNOV (since July 2002)
cabinet: Council of Ministers
election results: Aleksandr LUKASHENKO reelected president; percent
of vote - Aleksandr LUKASHENKO 75.6%, Vladimir GONCHARIK 15.4%
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
first election took place 23 June and 10 July 1994; according to the
1994 constitution, the next election should have been held in 1999,
however LUKASHENKO extended his term to 2001 via a November 1996
referendum; new election held 9 September 2001; October 2004
referendum ended presidential term limits allowing president to run
for a third term in September 2006; prime minister and deputy prime
ministers appointed by the president
Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament or Natsionalnoye Sobranie consists of the
Council of the Republic or Soviet Respubliki (64 seats; 56 members
elected by regional councils and 8 members appointed by the
president, all for 4-year terms) and the Chamber of Representatives
or Palata Predstaviteliy (110 seats; members elected by universal
adult suffrage to serve 4-year terms)
election results: Soviet Respubliki - percent of vote by party -
NA%; seats by party - NA; Palata Pretsaviteley - percent of vote by
party - NA%; seats by party - NA
elections: last held 18 March and 1 April 2001 and 17 and 31 October
2004 (bi-election will be held March 2005 to fill one unfilled seat
in the Palata Predstaviteliy); international observers widely
denounced the October 2004 elections as flawed and undemocratic,
based on massive government falsification; pro-Lukashenko candidates
won every seat, after many opposition candidates were disqualified
for technical reasons
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president);
Constitutional Court (half of the judges appointed by the president
and half appointed by the Chamber of Representatives)
Political parties and leaders:
Pro-government parties: Agrarian Party or AP; Belarusian Communist
Party or KPB; Belarusian Patriotic Movement (Belarusian Patriotic
Party) or BPR [Anatoliy BARANKEVICH, chairman]; Liberal Democratic
Party of Belarus [Sergei GAYDUKEVICH]; Social-Sports Party;
Opposition parties: Belarusian Popular Front or BNF [Vintsuk
VYACHORKA]; Belarusian Social-Democrat Party Narodnaya Gromada or
BSDP NG [Nikolay STATKEVICH, chairman]; Belarusian Social-Democratic
Party Hromada [Stanislav SHUSHKEVICH, chairman]; United Civic Party
or UCP [Anatol LEBEDKO]; Party of Communists Belarusian or PKB
[Sergei KALYAKIN, chairman]; Women's Party "Nadezhda" [Valentina
MATUSEVICH, chairperson]
note: the opposition Belarusian Party of Labor [Aleksandr
BUKHVOSTOV] was liquidated in August 2004, but remains active
Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA
International organization participation:
CEI, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IFC, IFRCS,
ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, NSG,
OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU,
WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO (observer)
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Mikhail KHVOSTOV
FAX: [1] (202) 986–1805
consulate(s) general: New York
telephone: [1] (202) 986–1604
chancery: 1619 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador George A. KROL
embassy: 46 Starovilenskaya St., Minsk 220002
mailing address: PSC 78, Box B Minsk, APO 09723
telephone: [375] (17) 210–12-83, 217–7347, 217–7348
FAX: [375] (17) 234–7853
Flag description:
red horizontal band (top) and green horizontal band one-half the
width of the red band; a white vertical stripe on the hoist side
bears Belarusian national ornamention in red
Economy Belarus
Economy - overview:
Belarus' economy in 2003 posted 6.1 percent growth and is likely to
continue expanding through 2004, albeit at a slower growth rate. The
Belarusian economy in 2004 is likely to be hampered by high
inflation, persistent trade deficits, and ongoing rocky relations
with Russia, Belarus' largest trading partner and energy supplier.
Belarus has seen little structural reform since 1995, when President
LUKASHENKO launched the country on the path of "market socialism."
In keeping with this policy, LUKASHENKO