Belarus - Government
Based on the etymolgy of Belarus, it was 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. The Government system in this country is the presidential republic in name, although in fact a dictatorship type and the different Administrative divisions includes: 6 regions (voblastsi, singular - voblasts') and 1 municipality* (horad); Brest, Homyel' (Gomel'), Horad Minsk* (Minsk City), Hrodna (Grodno), Mahilyow (Mogilev), Minsk, Vitsyebsk (Vitebsk)
National symbols
No clearly defined current national symbol, the mounted knight known as Pahonia (the Chaser) is the traditional Belarusian symbol; national colors: green, red, white.
The flag
The National flag of Belarus has 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.
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The National Anthem
| Title | "My, Bielarusy" (We Belarusians) |
|---|---|
| Lyric/music | Mikhas KLIMKOVICH and Uladzimir KARYZNA/Nester SAKALOUSKI |
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note: 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)
More about the government of Belarus
| Date of 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 |
| Legal system | civil law system; note - nearly all major codes (civil, civil procedure, criminal, criminal procedure, family, and labor) were revised and came into force in 1999 and 2000 |
| International law organization participation | has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt |
| Constitution | |
| History | Several previous; latest drafted between late 1991 and early 1994, signed 15 March 1994 |
| Amendments | Proposed by the president of the republic through petition to the National Assembly or by petition of least 150,000 eligible voters; approval required by at least two-thirds majority vote in both chambers or by simple majority of votes cast in a referendum; amended 1996, 2004 |
| Citizenship | |
| Citizenship by birth | no |
| Citizenship by descent only | at least one parent must be a citizen of Belarus |
| Dual citizenship recognized | no |
| Residency requirement for naturalization | 7 years |
| Executive Branch | |
| Chief of state | President Alyaksandr LUKASHENKA (since 20 July 1994) |
| Head of government | Prime Minister Roman GOLOVCHENKO (since 4 June 2020) |
| Cabinet | Council of Ministers appointed by the president |
| Elections/appointments | president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (no term limits); first election held on 23 June and 10 July 1994; according to the 1994 constitution, the next election should have been held in 1999; however, Alyaksandr LUKASHENKA 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 LUKASHENKA to run and win a third term (19 March 2006); a fourth term (19 December 2010); a fifth term (11 October 2015); a sixth term (9 August 2020); next election to be held in 2025; prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the president and approved by the National Assembly |
| Election results | 2020: Alyaksandr LUKASHENKA reelected president; percent of vote - Alyaksandr LUKASHENKA (independent) 80.1%, Svyatlana TSIKHANOWSKAYA (independent) 10.1%, other 9.8%; note - widespread street protests erupted following announcement of the election results amid allegations of voter fraud 2015: Alyaksandr LUKASHENKA elected president; percent of vote - Alyaksandr LUKASHENKA (independent) 84.1%, Tatsyana KARATKEVIC (BSDPH) 4.4%, Sergey GAYDUKEVICH (LDP) 3.3%, other 8.2%. |
| Legislative branch | |
| Description | Bicameral National Assembly or Natsyyalny Skhod consists of: Council of the Republic or Savet Respubliki (64 seats statutory, currently 58; 56 members indirectly elected by regional and Minsk city councils and 8 members appointed by the president; members serve 4-year terms) House of Representatives or Palata Pradstawnikow (110 seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by absolute majority vote in 2 rounds if needed; members serve 4-year terms) |
| Elections | Council of the Republic - indirect election last held on 7 November 2019 House of Representatives - last held on 25 February 2024 (next to be held in 2028) |
| Election results | Council of the Republic - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - independent 58, other 2; composition - men 42, women 16, percentage women 27.6% House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Belaya Rus 51, RPTS 8, CPB 7, LDPB 4, independent 40; composition - men 73, women 37, percentage women 33.6%; note - total National Assembly percentage women 31.5% |
| Judicial branch | |
| Highest court(s) | Supreme Court (consists of the chairman and deputy chairman and organized into several specialized panels, including economic and military; number of judges set by the president of the republic and the court chairman); 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 Council of the Republic; the presiding judge directly elected by the president and approved by the Council of the Republic; judges can serve for 11 years with an age limit of 70 |
| Subordinate courts | Oblast courts; Minsk City Court; town courts; Minsk city and oblast economic courts |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | |
| Chief of mission | Ambassador (vacant; recalled by Belarus in 2008); Chargé d'Affaires Pavel SHIDLOWSKI (since 9 August 2022) |
| Chancery | 1619 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009 |
| Telephone | [1] (202) 986-1606 |
| FAX | [1] (202) 986-1805 |
| Email address and website | [email protected] Embassy of the Republic of Belarus in the United States of America (mfa.gov.by) |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | |
| Chief of mission | Ambassador (vacant); Chargé d’Affaires Peter KAUFMAN (since June 2023) |
| Embassy | 46 Starovilenskaya Street, Minsk 220002 |
| Mailing address | 7010 Minsk Place, Washington DC 20521-7010 |
| Telephone | [375] (17) 210-12-83/217-73-47/217-73-48 |
| FAX | [375] (17) 334-78-53 |
| Email address and website | [email protected] https://by.usembassy.gov/ |
| National heritage | |
| Total World Heritage Sites | 4 (3 cultural, 1 natural) |
| Selected World Heritage Site locales | Białowieża Forest (n); Mir Castle Complex (c); Architectural, Residential, and Cultural Complex of the Radziwill Family at Nesvizh (c) |
Key Political parties and their leaders in Belarus
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International organization participation
All Important Facts about Belarus
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