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Country Name

Conventional long form: Republic of Belarus

Conventional short form: Belarus

Local long form: Respublika Byelarus'

Local short form: Byelarus'

Former: Belorussian (Byelorussian) Soviet Socialist Republic

Administrative Divisions

6 provinces (voblastsi, singular - voblasts') and 1 municipality* (horad); Brest, Homyel' (Gomel), Horad Minsk* (Minsk City), Hrodna (Grodno), Mahilyow (Mogilev), Minsk, Vitsyebsk (Vitebsk) note: administrative divisions have the same names as their administrative centers; Russian spelling provided for reference when different from Belarusian

Independence

25 August 1991 (from the 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

15 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; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

International Law Organization Participation

Citizenship

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Executive Branch

Chief of state: President Aleksandr LUKASHENKO (since 20 July 1994)

Head of government: Prime Minister Mikhail MYASNIKOVICH (since 28 December 2010); First Deputy Prime Minister Vladimir SEMASHKO (since December 2003)

Cabinet: Council of Ministers

Elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; first election took place on 23 June and 10 July 1994; according to the 1994 constitution, the next election should have been held in 1999, however, Aleksandr LUKASHENKO extended his term to 2001 via a November 1996 referendum; subsequent election held on 9 September 2001; an October 2004 referendum ended presidential term limits and allowed the president to run in a third (19 March 2006) and fourth election (19 December 2010); prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the president

Election results: Aleksandr LUKASHENKO reelected president; percent of vote - Aleksandr LUKASHENKO 79.7%, Andrey SANNIKAU 2.6%, other candidates 17.7%; note - election marred by electoral fraud

Legislative Branch

Bicameral National Assembly or Natsionalnoye Sobraniye consists of the Council of the Republic or Sovet Respubliki (64 seats; 56 members elected by regional and Minsk city councils and 8 members appointed by the president, to serve four-year terms) and the Chamber of Representatives or Palata Predstaviteley (110 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: Palata Predstaviteley - last held on 28 September 2008 (next to be held in the spring of 2012); international observers determined that despite minor improvements the election ultimately fell short of democratic standards; pro-LUKASHENKO candidates won every seat election results: Sovet Respubliki - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; Palata Predstaviteley - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA

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

Array

Political Pressure Groups and Leaders

Assembly of Pro-Democratic NGOs (unregistered) [Sergey MATSKEVICH]; Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions [Aleksandr YAROSHUK]; Belarusian Association of Journalists [Zhana LITVINA]; Belarusian Helsinki Committee [Aleh HULAK]; Belarusian Independence Bloc (unregistered) and For Freedom movement [Aleksandr MILINKEVICH]; Belarusian Organization of Working Women [Irina ZHIKHAR]; BPF-Youth [Andrus KRECHKA]; Charter 97 (unregistered) [Andrey SANNIKOV]; Perspektiva small business association [Anatol SHUMCHENKO]; Nasha Vyasna (unregistered) ("Our Spring") human rights center; "Tell the Truth" Movement [Vladimir NEKLYAYEV]; Women's Independent Democratic Movement [Ludmila PETINA]; Young Belarus (Malady Belarus) [Zmitser KASPYAROVICH]; Youth Front (Malady Front) [Zmitser DASHKEVICH]

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 ornamentation in red; the red band color recalls past struggles from oppression, the green band represents hope and the many forests of the country

National Anthem

Lyrics:

Year	2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000

Government Type

Republic in name, although in fact a dictatorship

Capital

Name
Minsk
Geographic Coordinates
53 54 N, 27 34 E
Time Difference
UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Daylight Saving Time
+1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Diplomatic Representation in the US

Chief Of Mission
Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Oleg KRAVCHENKO
Chancery
1619 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009
Telephone
[1] (202) 986-1604
FAX
[1] (202) 986-1805
Consulate(s) General
New York

Diplomatic Representation from the US

Chief Of Mission
Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Michael SCANLAN
Embassy
46 Starovilenskaya Street, Minsk 220002
Mailing Address
PSC 78, Box B Minsk, APO 09723
Telephone
[375] (17) 210-12-83, 217-7347 through 7348
FAX
[375] (17) 334-7853

International Organization Participation

BSEC (observer)
CBSS (observer)
CEI
CIS
CSTO
EAEC
EAPC
EBRD
FAO
GCTU
IAEA
IBRD
ICAO
ICRM
IDA
IFC
IFRCS
ILO
IMF
IMSO
Interpol
IOC
IOM
IPU

ISO
ITU
ITUC
MIGA
NAM
NSG
OPCW
OSCE
PCA
PFP
SCO (dialogue member)
UN
UNCTAD
UNESCO
UNIDO
UNWTO
UPU
WCO
WFTU
WHO
WIPO
WMO
WTO (observer)

Belarus