Politics
Cheif of State: Aleksandr Lukashenko
Head of Government: Mikhail Myasnikovich
Flag Symbolism: 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 Symbols: mounted knight known as Pahonia (the Chaser) National Anthem: "My, Bielarusy" (We Belarusians) |
Conventional Long Form Name of Country: Republic of Belarus
Capital Cities: Minsk Type Of Government: republic in name, although in fact a dictatorship Date of Independence: 25 August 1991 National Holidays: 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 Executive Power Description: 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 Legislative: 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); note - the US does not recognize the legitimacy of the national assembly Judicial: supreme court (consists of the chairman, deputy chairman, and na judges); constitutional court (consists of 12 judges including a chairman and deputy chairman)judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court judges appointed by the president with the consent of the Council of the Republic; judges initially appointed for 5 years and evaluated for life appointment; Constitutional Court judges - 6 appointed by the president and 6 elected by the Chamber of Representatives; term of judges is 11 years with an age limit of 70 Sufferage: 18 years of age; universal Ambassador To United States: Vacant Ambassador From United States: Vacant Location of their Embassy: 1619 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009 Location of Our Embassy: 46 Starovilenskaya Street, Minsk 220002 Location of Consulate: Minsk Their rep to the UN: Disputes: boundary demarcated with Latvia and Lithuania; as a member state that forms part of the EU's external border, Poland has implemented strict Schengen border rules to restrict illegal immigration and trade along its border with Belarus Refugees and CoO: N/A Internally Displaced Persons: 0 Stateless persons: 6,969 Human Trafficking: Current Situation: Belarus Is A Source, Transit, And Destination Country For Women, Men, And Children Subjected To Sex Trafficking And Forced Labor; Women And Children Are Trafficked To European And Middle Eastern Countries And Within Belarus For Sexual Exploitation; Belarusian Men, Women, And Children Are Found In Forced Labor In The Construction Industry And Other Sectors In Russia And Belarus; Belarusian Men Seeking Work Abroad Are Increasingly Subjected To Forced Labortier Rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Belarus does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so; the government demonstrates decreased law enforcement efforts, conducting fewer trafficking investigations and convicting only one trafficking offender; while two new anti-trafficking laws were passed, they have not been fully implemented and government services to victims remain very limited; the government continues its efforts to prevent trafficking through public awareness campaigns and NGO-operated anti-trafficking hotlines (2013) Illicit Drug trade: limited cultivation of opium poppy and cannabis, mostly for the domestic market; transshipment point for illicit drugs to and via Russia, and to the Baltics and Western Europe; a small and lightly regulated financial center; anti-money-laundering legislation does not meet international standards and was weakened further when know-your-customer requirements were curtailed in 2008; few investigations or prosecutions of money-laundering activities (2008) |