"text":"After seven decades as a constituent republic of the USSR, Belarus attained its independence in 1991. It has retained closer political and economic ties to Russia than have any of the other former Soviet republics. Belarus and Russia signed a treaty on a two-state union on 8 December 1999 envisioning greater political and economic integration. Although Belarus agreed to a framework to carry out the accord, serious implementation has yet to take place. Since his election in July 1994 as the country's first and only directly elected president, Aleksandr LUKASHENKO has steadily consolidated his power through authoritarian means and a centralized economic system. Government restrictions on political and civil freedoms, freedom of speech and the press, peaceful assembly, and religion have remained in place. The situation was somewhat aggravated after security services cracked down on protests challenging election results in the capital Minsk following the 2010 presidential election, but little protest occurred after the 2015 election."
"text":"soil pollution from pesticide use; southern part of the country contaminated with fallout from 1986 nuclear reactor accident at Chornobyl' in northern Ukraine"
},
"Environment - international agreements":{
"party to":{
"text":"Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands"
},
"signed, but not ratified":{
"text":"none of the selected agreements"
}
},
"Geography - note":{
"text":"landlocked; glacial scouring accounts for the flatness of Belarusian terrain and for its 11,000 lakes"
"text":"the name is a compound of the Belarusian words \"bel\" (white) and \"Rus\" (the Old East Slavic ethnic designation) to form the meaning White Rusian or White Ruthenian"
}
},
"Government type":{
"text":"republic in name, although in fact an authoritarian system centered on the executive"
},
"Capital":{
"name":{
"text":"Minsk"
},
"geographic coordinates":{
"text":"53 54 N, 27 34 E"
},
"time difference":{
"text":"UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)"
"text":"administrative divisions have the same names as their administrative centers; Russian spelling provided for reference when different from Belarusian"
}
},
"Independence":{
"text":"25 August 1991 (from the Soviet Union)"
},
"National holiday":{
"text":"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":{
"text":"several previous; latest drafted between late 1991 and early 1994, signed 15 March 1994; amended 1996, 2004 (2015)"
},
"Legal system":{
"text":"civil law system; note - nearly all major codes (civil, civil procedure, criminal, criminal procedure, family, and labor) have been revised and came into force in 1999 or 2000"
},
"International law organization participation":{
"text":"has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt"
"text":"president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (no term limits); 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), fourth (19 December 2010), and fifth election (11 October 2015); next election in 2020; prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the president and approved by the National Assembly"
"text":"bicameral National Assembly or Natsionalnoye Sobraniye consists of the Council of the Republic or Sovet Respubliki (64 seats; 56 members indirectly elected by regional and Minsk city councils and 8 members appointed by the president; members serve 4-year terms) and the Chamber of Representatives or Palata Predstaviteley (110 seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by absolute majority vote with a second round if needed; members serve 4-year terms); note - the US does not recognize the legitimacy of the National Assembly"
"text":"Palata Predstaviteley - last held on 23 September 2012 (next to be held September 2016); OSCE observers determined that the election was neither free nor impartial and that vote counting was problematic in a number of polling stations; pro-LUKASHENKO candidates won every seat with no opposition representation in the chamber; international observers determined that the previous election, on 28 September 2008, despite minor improvements, also fell short of democratic standards, with pro-LUKASHENKO candidates winning every seat"
"text":"Sovet Respubliki - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; Palata Predstaviteley - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - KPB 3, AP 1, Republican Party of Labor and Justice 1, no affiliation 104, vacant 1"
"text":"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":{
"text":"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; judges can serve for 11 years with an age limit of 70"
},
"subordinate courts":{
"text":"provincial (including Minsk city) courts; first instance (district) courts; economic courts; military courts"
}
},
"Political parties and leaders":{
"pro-government parties":{
"text":" ++ Belarusian Agrarian Party or AP [Mikhail RUS] ++ Belarusian Patriotic Party [Nikolay ULAKHOVICH] ++ Belarusian Socialist Sporting Party [Vladimir ALEKSANDROVICH] ++ Belaya Rus [Aleksandr RADKOV] ++ Communist Party of Belarus or KPB [Igor KARPENKO] ++ Liberal Democratic Party or LDP [Sergey GAYDUKEVICH] ++ Republican Party of Labor and Justice [Vasiliy ZADNEPRYANIY]"
},
"opposition parties":{
"text":" ++ Belarusian Christian Democracy Party [Pavel SEVERINETS] (unregistered) ++ Belarusian Labor Party [Aleksandr BUCHVOSTOV] (unregistered) ++ Belarusian Liberal Party of Freedom and Progress [Vladimir NOVOSYAD] (unregistered) ++ Belarusian Party of the Green [Oleg NOVIKOV] ++ Belarusian Party of the Left \"Fair World\" [Sergey KALYAKIN] ++ Belarusian Popular Front or BPF [Aleksey YANUKEVICH] ++ Belarusian Social-Democratic Assembly [Stanislav SHUSHKEVICH] ++ Belarusian Social Democratic Party (\"Assembly\") or BSDPH [Irina VESHTARD] ++ Belarusian Social Democratic Party (People's Assembly) [Nikolay STATKEVICH] (unregistered) ++ Christian Conservative Party or BPF [Zyanon PAZNIAK] ++ United Civic Party or UCP [Anatoliy LEBEDKO]"
}
},
"Political pressure groups and leaders":{
"text":"Assembly of Pro-Democratic NGOs [Sergey MATSKEVICH] (unregistered) ++ Belarusian Association of Journalists [Zhanna LITVINA] ++ Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions [Aleksandr YAROSHUK] ++ Belarusian Helsinki Committee [Aleh HULAK] ++ Malady Front (Young Front) [Zmitser DASHKEVICH] (unregistered) ++ Vyasna (Spring) human rights center [Ales BELYATSKIY] (unregistered) ++ Perspektiva [Anatol SHUMCHENKO] (small business association) ++ \"Tell the Truth\" Movement [Vladimir NEKLYAYEV] (unregistered) ++ Women's Independent Democratic Movement [Ludmila PETINA]"
"text":"Ambassador (vacant; recalled by Belarus in 2008); Charge d'Affaires Pavel SHIDLOVSKY (since 23 April 2014)"
},
"chancery":{
"text":"1619 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009"
},
"telephone":{
"text":"[1] (202) 986-1606"
},
"FAX":{
"text":"[1] (202) 986-1805"
},
"consulate(s) general":{
"text":"New York"
}
},
"Diplomatic representation from the US":{
"chief of mission":{
"text":"Ambassador (vacant; left in 2008 upon insistence of Belarusian Government); Charge d'Affaires Scott RAULAND (since 30 June 2014)"
},
"embassy":{
"text":"46 Starovilenskaya Street, Minsk 220002"
},
"mailing address":{
"text":"PSC 78, Box B Minsk, APO 09723"
},
"telephone":{
"text":"[375] (17) 210-12-83"
},
"FAX":{
"text":"[375] (17) 234-7853"
}
},
"Flag description":{
"text":"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 symbol(s)":{
"text":"no clearly defined current national symbol, the mounted knight known as Pahonia (the Chaser) is the traditional Belarusian symbol; national colors: green, red, white"
},
"National anthem":{
"name":{
"text":"\"My, Bielarusy\" (We Belarusians)"
},
"lyrics/music":{
"text":"Mikhas KLIMKOVICH and Uladzimir KARYZNA/Nester SAKALOUSKI"
},
"note":{
"text":"music adopted 1955, lyrics adopted 2002; after the fall of the Soviet Union, Belarus kept the music of its Soviet-era anthem but adopted new lyrics; also known as \"Dziarzauny himn Respubliki Bielarus\" (State Anthem of the Republic of Belarus)"
}
}
},
"Economy":{
"Economy - overview":{
"text":"As part of the former Soviet Union, Belarus had a relatively well-developed, though aging industrial base; it retained this industrial base - which is now outdated, energy inefficient, and dependent on subsidized Russian energy and preferential access to Russian markets - following the breakup of the USSR. The country also has a broad agricultural base which is largely inefficient and dependent on government subsidies. After an initial burst of capitalist reform from 1991-94, including privatization of smaller state enterprises and some service sector businesses, creation of institutions of private property, and development of entrepreneurship, Belarus' economic development greatly slowed. About 80% of all industry remains in state hands, and foreign investment has been hindered by a climate hostile to business. A few banks, which had been privatized after independence, were renationalized. State banks account for 75% of the banking sector. Economic output, which had declined for several years following the collapse of the Soviet Union, revived in the mid-2000s thanks to the boom in oil prices. Belarus has only small reserves of crude oil, though it imports most of its crude oil and natural gas from Russia at prices substantially below the world market. Belarus exported refined oil products at market prices produced from Russian crude oil purchased at a steep discount. In late 2006, Russia began a process of rolling back its subsidies on oil and gas to Belarus. Tensions over Russian energy reached a peak in 2010, when Russia stopped the export of all subsidized oil to Belarus save for domestic needs. In December 2010, Russia and Belarus reached a deal to restart the export of discounted oil to Belarus. In 2015, Belarus continued to import Russian crude oil at a discounted price. However, the plunge in global oil prices heavily reduced revenues. Little new foreign investment has occurred in recent years. In 2011, a financial crisis began, triggered by government directed salary hikes unsupported by commensurate productivity increases. The crisis was compounded by an increased cost in Russian energy inputs and an overvalued Belarusian ruble, and eventually led to a near three-fold devaluation of the Belarusian ruble in 2011. In November 2011, Belarus agreed to sell to Russia its remaining shares in Beltransgaz, the Belarusian natural gas pipeline operator, in exchange for reduced prices for Russian natural gas. Receiving more than half of a $3 billion loan from the Russian-dominated Eurasian Economic Community (EurAsEC) Bail-out Fund, a $1 billion loan from the Russian state-owned bank Sberbank, and the $2.5 billion sale of Beltranzgas to Russian state-owned Gazprom helped stabilize the situation in 2012; nevertheless, the Belarusian currency lost more than 60% of its value, as the rate of inflation reached new highs in 2011 and 2012, before calming in 2013. As of January 2014, the final tranche of the EurAsEC loan has been delayed. In December 2013, Russia announced a new loan for Belarus of up to $2 billion for 2014. Notwithstanding foreign assistance, the Belarusian economy continued to struggle under the weight of high external debt servicing payments and trade deficit. In mid-December 2014, structural economic shortcomings were aggravated by the devaluation of the Russian ruble and triggered a near 40% devaluation of the Belarusian ruble. Belarus entered 2015 with stagnant economic growth and reduced hard currency reserves, with under one month of import cover."
"Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy":{
"text":"67.13 million Mt (2012 est.)"
}
},
"Communications":{
"Telephones - fixed lines":{
"total subscriptions":{
"text":"4.5 million"
},
"subscriptions per 100 inhabitants":{
"text":"47 (2014 est.)"
}
},
"Telephones - mobile cellular":{
"total":{
"text":"11.4 million"
},
"subscriptions per 100 inhabitants":{
"text":"119 (2014 est.)"
}
},
"Telephone system":{
"general assessment":{
"text":"Belarus lags behind its neighbors in upgrading telecommunications infrastructure; modernization of the network progressing with roughly two-thirds of switching equipment now digital"
},
"domestic":{
"text":"state-owned Beltelcom is the sole provider of fixed-line local and long distance service; fixed-line teledensity is improving although rural areas continue to be underserved; multiple GSM mobile-cellular networks are experiencing rapid growth; mobile-cellular teledensity now exceeds 100 telephones per 100 persons"
},
"international":{
"text":"country code - 375; Belarus is a member of the Trans-European Line (TEL), Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) fiber-optic line, and has access to the Trans-Siberia Line (TSL); 3 fiber-optic segments provide connectivity to Latvia, Poland, Russia, and Ukraine; worldwide service is available to Belarus through this infrastructure; additional analog lines to Russia; Intelsat, Eutelsat, and Intersputnik earth stations (2008)"
}
},
"Broadcast media":{
"text":"4 state-controlled national TV channels; Polish and Russian TV broadcasts are available in some areas; state-run Belarusian Radio operates 3 national networks and an external service; Russian and Polish radio broadcasts are available (2007)"
"text":"5,503 km 1.520-m gauge (874 km electrified)"
},
"standard gauge":{
"text":"25 km 1.435-m gauge (2014)"
}
},
"Roadways":{
"total":{
"text":"86,392 km"
},
"paved":{
"text":"74,651 km"
},
"unpaved":{
"text":"11,741 km (2010)"
}
},
"Waterways":{
"text":"2,500 km (major rivers are the west-flowing Western Dvina and Neman rivers and the south-flowing Dnepr River and its tributaries, the Berezina, Sozh, and Pripyat rivers) (2011)"
},
"Ports and terminals":{
"river port(s)":{
"text":"Mazyr (Prypyats')"
}
}
},
"Military":{
"Military branches":{
"text":"Belarus Armed Forces: Land Force, Air and Air Defense Force, Special Operations Force (2013)"
},
"Military service age and obligation":{
"text":"18-27 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation is 12-18 months, depending on academic qualifications; 17 year olds are eligible to become cadets at military higher education institutes, where they are classified as military personnel (2012)"
},
"Manpower available for military service":{
"males age 16-49":{
"text":"2,401,785"
},
"females age 16-49":{
"text":"2,429,653 (2010 est.)"
}
},
"Manpower fit for military service":{
"males age 16-49":{
"text":"1,693,626"
},
"females age 16-49":{
"text":"2,012,401 (2010 est.)"
}
},
"Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually":{
"male":{
"text":"51,855"
},
"female":{
"text":"48,760 (2010 est.)"
}
},
"Military expenditures":{
"text":"1.3% of GDP (2013) ++ 1.2% of GDP (2012) ++ 1.27% of GDP (2011) ++ 1.2% of GDP (2010)"
}
},
"Transnational Issues":{
"Disputes - international":{
"text":"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 internally displaced persons":{
"refugees (country of origin)":{
"text":"126,407 applicants for forms of legal stay other than asylum (Ukraine) (2015)"
},
"stateless persons":{
"text":"6,440 (2014)"
}
},
"Trafficking in persons":{
"current situation":{
"text":"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, Belarus, and other countries; Ukrainian women may be sex trafficked in Belarus"
},
"tier rating":{
"text":"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 has a written plan that, if implemented, would constitute a significant effort toward meeting the minimum standards for eliminating human trafficking; authorities did not convict any trafficker and conducted the fewest investigations in the last four years; a 2013 law permitting state funding for NGOs that provide services to victims has not been implemented; the government retained a decree forbidding workers from leaving their jobs in the wood processing industry without their employer’s permission, and authorities did not identify any labor trafficking victims; continuing efforts to prevent human trafficking included awareness campaigns, penalizing fraudulent labor recruitment, and a safe migration hotline (2014)"
}
},
"Illicit drugs":{
"text":"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)"
