БЕЛАРУСЬ « BELARUSĴ »
— Also: Белоруссия « Belorussija ».
— Officially: Республика Беларусь « Respublika Belarusĵ »; Рэспубліка Беларусь « Rčspublíka Belarusĵ ».
— English: Belarus.
— Seat of government: Минск « Minsk » / Мінск « Mínsk ».
— Status: Not democratic.
— Structure: Autocracy under the current president.
— Head of government: Александр Лукашенко « Aleksandr Lukašenko », president.
— Opposition parties: Аб’яднаныя Дэмакратычныя Сілы Беларусі « Ab’jadnanyja Dčmakratyčnyja Síly Belarusí », led by Аляксандар Мілінкевіч « Aljaksandar Mílínkevíč »; Беларускі Незалежніцкі Блёк « Belaruskí Nezaležníckí Bljok »; Беларускі Народны Фронт « Belaruskí Narodny Front » (officially Партыя БНФ « Partyja BNF » or БНФ Адраджэньне « BNF Adradžčnĵne »).
— Assessment: Лукашенко « Lukašenko », originally democratically elected in 1994, has steadily built a dictatorship, starting particularly with a 1996 referendum, whose official results greatly strengthened the institution of the presidency. Elections are rigged and opponents are imprisoned. Even a 2008 parliamentary election held with the intent of demonstrating democratization to the West led to a parliament completely without opposition to the régime. After the 2010 presidential election ended in protests, protesters were attacked; several presidential candidates were among the beaten and the government imprisoned seven of them, including Андрэй Саннікаў « Andrčĭ Sanníkaŭ », who finished second. Лукашенко « Lukašenko » originally hoped to transfer his rule to the union of Беларусь « Belarusĵ » with Россия « Rossija »; while he chairs the Союзное Государство « Sojuznoe Gosudarstvo » and Минск « Minsk » hosts it, Владимир Путин « Vladimir Putin » dominates it and has shown no willingness to yield, so Лукашенко « Lukašenko » has become something of a Путин « Putin » critic.
— FH: 7-6, not free. Econ: 3.34 (132), authoritarian.
— Updated: 2014 November 17.
O.T. FORD