Belarus,officially the Republic of Belarus,is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast,Ukraine to the south,Poland to the west,and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Belarus spans an area of 207,600 square kilometres (80,200 sq mi) with a population of 9.1 million,The country has a hemiboreal climate and is administratively divided into six regions. Minsk is the capital and largest city;it is administered separately as a city with special status.
The politics of Belarus takes place in a framework of a presidential republic with a bicameral parliament. The President of Belarus is the head of state. Executive power is nominally exercised by the government,at its top sits a ceremonial prime minister,appointed directly by the President. Legislative power is de jure vested in the bicameral parliament,the National Assembly,however the president may enact decrees that are executed the same way as laws,for undisputed time.
Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko is a Belarusian politician who has been the president of Belarus since the office's establishment in 1994,currently the longest in Europe.
The Belarusian Presidential Guard or officially the Presidential Security Service is a law-enforcement body that was designed to protect the President of Belarus and other high-ranking officials and officers.
The president of the Republic of Belarus is the head of state and head of government of Belarus. The office was created in 1994 with the passing of the Constitution of Belarus by the Supreme Council. This replaced the office of Chairman of the Supreme Council as the head of state. The tasks of the president include executing foreign and domestic policy,defending the rights and general welfare of citizens and residents,and upholding the Constitution. The president is mandated by the Constitution to serve as a leader in the social affairs of the country and to act as its main representative abroad. The duties,responsibilities and other transitional clauses dealing with the presidency are listed in Chapter Three,Articles 79 through 89,of the Constitution.
Interstate relations between the United States and Belarus began in 1991 upon the dissolution of the Soviet Union,of which Belarus had been a part. However,the relations have turned sour due to accusations by the United States that Belarus has been violating human rights. Belarus,in turn,has accused the United States of interfering in its internal affairs.
Presidential elections were held in Belarus on 19 March 2006. The result was a victory for incumbent,President Alexander Lukashenko,who received 84.4% of the vote. However,Western observers deemed the elections rigged. The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) declared that the election "failed to meet OSCE commitments for democratic elections". In contrast,election observers from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) described the vote as open and transparent.
Mutual relations between the Republic of Belarus and the European Union (EU) were initially established after the European Economic Community recognised Belarusian independence in 1991.
The government of Belarus is criticized for its human rights violations and persecution of non-governmental organisations,independent journalists,national minorities,and opposition politicians. In a testimony to the United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations,former United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice labeled Belarus as one of the world's six "outposts of tyranny". In response,the Belarusian government called the assessment "quite far from reality". During 2020 Belarusian presidential election and protests,the number of political prisoners recognized by Viasna Human Rights Centre rose dramatically to 1062 as of 16 February 2022. Several people died after the use of unlawful and abusive force by law enforcement officials during 2020 protests. According to Amnesty International,the authorities didn't investigate violations during protests but instead harassed those who challenged their version of events. In July 2021,the authorities launched a campaign against the remaining non-governmental organizations,liquidating at least 270 of them by October,including all previously registered human rights organizations in the country.
The Belarusian opposition consists of groups and individuals in Belarus seeking to challenge,from 1988 to 1991,the authorities of Soviet Belarus,and since 1995,the leader of the country Alexander Lukashenko,whom supporters of the movement often consider to be a dictator. Supporters of the movement tend to call for a parliamentary democracy based on a Western model,with freedom of speech and political and religious pluralism.
Presidential elections were held in Belarus on 11 October 2015. Long-term president Alexander Lukashenko ran for his fifth term in office,having won every presidential election since independence in 1991. He was re-elected with 84% of the vote,according to official figures. The 'against all' option received more votes than any opposition candidate.
The Administration of the President of the Republic of Belarus is a state administration body of Belarus that supervises the implementation of the resolutions of the President.
Sviatlana Hieorhiyeuna Tsikhanouskaya is a Belarusian political activist. After standing as a candidate in the 2020 presidential election against the president Alexander Lukashenko,she has led the political opposition to his authoritarian rule through an oppositional government operating from Lithuania and Poland.
The following is a list of the official reactions to the 2020 Belarusian presidential election and the surrounding 2020 Belarusian protests.
Natalia Nikolaevna Eismont is a press secretary of Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko.
Natalia Ivanovna Kochanova is a Belarusian politician who has been Speaker of the Council of the Republic of Belarus since December 2019.
Dzianis Melyantsou,is a Belarusian political scientist and commentator of foreign relations of Belarus. He is criticised for propaganda in Belarus and lobbyism of the authoritarian regime of Alexander Lukashenko.
