Belarus and Belarusian News

  
Country Profile
Belarus officially the Republic of Belarus is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe.
Belarus is divided into 6 Regions which are named after the cities that serve as their administrative centers.Each region has a provincial legislative authority, called a region council , which is elected by its residents, and a provincial executive authority called a region administration whose chairman is appointed by the President.

Belarus has been heavily criticised by rights bodies for suppressing free speech, muzzling the press and denying the opposition access to state media.Reporters Without Borders (RSF) ranked Belarus 151st out of 175 countries in its 2009 press freedom index.The web is used by the opposition to make its voice heard. There were around 4.4 million internet users by June 2010.

Capital                               Minsk
Currency                            Belarusian Ruble
Official Language               Belarusian
Population                         10 Million (2011 Estimate)
Ethnic Groups                    84% Belarusians;8% Russians;3% Polish;2%Ukrainians and 3% Others

History
After the establishment of a Belarus Republic on August 25, 1991,Stanislav Shushkevich was selected to be the first Belarusian leader who(held this position until 1994) directed his country in a way to become free from its Soviet past and try to look towards the West.
His successor, Alexander Lukashenko upon assuming office in 1994 and began to turn his attention away from the West and back towards Russia.Belarus has never held a poll seen as fair by international monitors since Lukashenko began his presidency.Belarus has been called "the last true remaining dictatorship in the heart of Europe" by the former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
In 1996, Lukashenko called for a controversial vote to extend the presidential term from five to seven years, and as a result the election that was supposed to occur in 1999 was pushed back to 2001.
Effective January 31, 2011, the European Union renewed a travel ban, prohibiting Belarus President Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko and 156 of his associates from traveling to EU member countries.


Politics and Government
Belarus is a Presidential Republic where the President is the Head of State who is elected by National Vote every 5 years.

President of Belarus

Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko is the current President in office from July 20,1994 serving his 4th term as President(1994-2001;2001-06;2006-11 and 2011-incumbent)Alexander Lukashenko, often referred to as Europe's last dictator, was inaugurated for a fourth term as president in January 2011.

Prime Minister of Belarus
Executive Power is exercised by the government which  includes a Council of Ministers, headed by the prime minister and five deputy prime ministers.The members of this council need not be members of the legislature and are appointed by the president.

Mikhail Uladzimiravich Myasnikovich is the current Prime Minister of Belarus in office from Dec 28,2010 following  2010 Presidential Election.

National Assembly of Belarus

 

The National Assembly is Bicameral consisting of -
110 Member House of Representatives(Lower House)elected on the basis of universal, equal, free, and direct electoral suffrage by secret ballot and
64 Member Council of the Republic(Upper House)

European Union outraged after Belarus executes two men accused of Metro bombing

 

 President Alexander Lukashenko often referred to as Europe's last dictator ignores pleas for clemency as critics question fairness of trial.

The EU and human rights groups have strongly condemned the execution of two young men - Dmitry Konovalov and Vladislav Kovalyov following their conviction for a deadly attack on the Minsk metro last April.

On Saturday March 17,2012, state television reported that Vladislav Kovalyov and Dmitry Konovalov, both 26, had been put to death. In Belarus, execution is performed by a shot to the back of the head .The two executed men were convicted in November last year after what activists said was a clumsy show trial.

2012 Belarusian Parliamentary Election - Sunday Sep 23,2012

 

 The Parliament election was held for the 110 seats of 'House of Representatives',the Lower House of the national Assembly of Belarus(Parliament)

According to the 1994 electoral law,the voting age was set at 18, whilst candidates had to be at least 21.Members of the Council of the Republic and members of a local councils were ineligible for election to the House of Representatives.Candidates had to collect at least 1,000 signatures from voters in the constituency they intended to run in.

Winning candidates had to achieve an absolute majority of the vote in their constituency and turnout was required to be 50% or more.

Political Parties Contesting the Election

The elections were contested by the -

Communist Party

Liberal Demicratic Party

United Left Party

Belarusian Socialist Sporting Party and

Agrarian Party

The BPF Party and the United Civic Party  both pulled out of the election a week before polling day. 

16 seats were uncontested.

Election Results

109 of 110 MPs were elected receiving an absolute majority with the necessary turnout, with only the constituency of Novobelitsky failing to elect a candidate in the first round.The nationwide voter turnout was reported to be 74.3%.

The election was boycotted by the main opposition and produced a parliament composed exclusively of independents or candidates loyal to President Alexander Lukashenko, reinforcing his autocratic, 18-year rule