Alexander Lukashenko

Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko (Lukashenka) (Russian: ????????? ??????????? ?????????, Belarusian: ??????????? ?????????? ??????????, Alaksandar Ryhoravi? ?uka?enka) (born August 30, 1954) is the current President of Belarus. First elected in 1994, his rule has been controversial: his supporters argue that his policies have spared Belarus the worst effects of post-Soviet capitalism, while his opponents, at home and abroad, accuse him of being dictatorial. Lukashenko's external and internal policies have led Belarus to be barred from joining the Council of Europe.

Economic and political problems

Lukashenko's government has come under increasing political and economic pressure from the West and Russia. Russia has little enthusiasm for his projected political union between Russia and Belarus. Although Lukashenko has moved very gradually towards allowing a greater degree of private enterprise, he continues to oppose the privatization of larger state enterprises, and small businesses continue to suffer from restrictive, inconsistent and unstable legal system and government policy for business. In particular, an attempt of a joint venture with Ford Motors failed because of this. Few foreign markets have been found for Belarusian goods, with over 60% of the country's trade going to Russia. This has led to continued economic difficulties, with the Belarusian ruble continuing to decline in value.

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Lukashenko has made much of a claim that despite having faced economic problems over the years, Belarus has not experienced the same level of social dislocation seen in Russia after that country's radical reform programme. He points out that Belarus has one of the lowest Gini coefficients in the world, indicating one of the world's most egalitarian distributions of income: not a surprising fact in a country where most of the economy is state-owned and there is no entrepreneurial class. Belarus' official rates of unemployment and poverty also remain low. However, many non-Belarusian analysts believe that Lukashenko's approach is ultimately unsustainable and will ultimately require more rapid and painful reform than would otherwise have been necessary.

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The human rights situation in Belarus has come under increasing international scrutiny in recent years. The most recent reports of Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International on Belarus accuse Lukashenko of widespread violations of human rights. The United Nations Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR) issued a resolution on Belarus in April 2003, in which it expressed "deep concern" about human rights in Belarus, and urged the government to release journalists and other individuals detained for politically motivated reasons and to cease harassment of non-governmental organizations and political parties.

Related Topics:
Human Rights Watch - Amnesty International - United Nations Commission on Human Rights - 2003

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During 2000 and 2001, Lukashenko became embroiled in a scandal that has led to widespread international criticism. Three opposition figures and a journalist disappeared in 1999 and 2000 in mysterious circumstances, after Lukashenko publicly ordered the security services to crack down on what he termed "opposition scum". Evidence subsequently emerged that implicated the Interior Ministry in the disappearances, which led to allegations that a government "death squad" had been responsible. A number of junior officials were arrested and convicted, but the government intervened to block investigations into the possible involvement of senior ministers.

Related Topics:
2000 - 2001 - 1999

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International organisations continued to criticise Lukashenko's government during 2002 and 2003. In late 2002, the Belarusian authorities expelled an OSCE delegation, prompting the United States and EU to impose a travel ban on Lukashenko and several high-ranking government officials. The independent media does continue to exist, but under great pressure from the authorities; the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) listed Belarus as among the ten "Worst Places to be a Journalist" in 2003.

Related Topics:
2002 - 2003 - OSCE - Committee to Protect Journalists

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In September, European Jewish leaders accused Belarus' Education Ministry of pursuing anti-Semitic policies after officials shut down an institute offering a course in Jewish studies. At the same time the only lyceum in which instruction was done exclusively in Belarusian language was also shut down before the school year ended. Nevertheless the lyceum continued studies in rented space, but the exit exams were not officially recognized. Fortunately for the graduates, a test system was introduced for entering into higher education institutions, so that the results of the exit exams were less important. Also, the neighboring countries (e.g., Lithuania and Poland) offered to recognize their lyceum diploma.

Related Topics:
Jew - Lyceum - Belarusian language - Lithuania - Poland

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Lukashenko continues to face domestic opposition from a coalition of opposition groups, although these have tended to be weak, divided, hampered by the government's restrictions and underfunded. The United States Congress has sought to address the latter problem by introducing a Belarus Democracy Act in 2001, 2002, 2003, and finally passing it in 2004 to introduce sanctions against Lukashenko's government and provide financial and other support to the opposition. This is modelled on the support given to the opposition in Serbia, which successfully topped President Slobodan Milo?evi? in 2000. Lukashenko has been characteristically defiant, declaring that "there will be no Ko?tunica here" (a reference to Vojislav Ko?tunica, the Serb politician who replaced Milo?evi?). "No way! This must be clear to you and all those who count on it."

Related Topics:
Belarus Democracy Act - 2001 - 2002 - 2003 - 2004 - Serbia - Slobodan Milo?evi? - 2000 - Vojislav Ko?tunica

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