As Belarus celebrates Independence Day and the 70th anniversary of liberation from Nazi troops, BelarusDigest examines preconceptions about life under 20 years of Alexander Lukashenko's rule

Is it accurate to call Belarus a dictatorship?

The Bush administration famously dubbed Alexander Lukashenko "Europe's last dictator" in 2005. Political freedoms in Belarus are severely restricted, especially in comparison with other European countries. However, the authorities are a long way from controlling all spheres of society, as would happen in a totalitarian state.



Elections, however, are not free and fair. There is no separation of powers between the executive, the judiciary, and the legislature. As a matter of fact, all political decision-making is either made directly or on behalf of the presidential administration.



The Belarusian authorities put significant effort into silencing alternative sources of information not under their control



The Belarusian authorities put significant effort into silencing alternative sources of information not under their control. Although the Internet is currently accessible in Belarus almost without limitations, there is virtually no freedom of expression in the newspapers or electronic media. In addition, the websites of opposition parties are often subject to hacker attacks, believed to be initiated by the state. Opposition parties formally exist, but in practice they are prevented from any substantive participation in political decision-making, such as being elected to parliament or other representative bodies.



At the same time, people are free to travel abroad. Criticising authorities in private discussions or in publications has no harmful consequences most of the time. However, the most active opposition activists and journalists are often fined or sentenced to jail. Participation in an unauthorised demonstration (most opposition demonstrations are not authorised by the authorities) may result in 5-15 days of police detention or a fine.

Following the 19 December 2010 presidential elections, political freedoms have been further restricted. Over a dozen opposition leaders, including former presidential candidates, have been prosecuted for protesting against falsification of the election results. Several of them were sentenced to several years in prison.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Visiting Russian World War II veterans, look at a WWII-era Soviet anti-tank gun at the site of the former Soviet Union's border fortifications outside Minsk on 2 July, 2014. Photograph: Viktor Drachev/AFP/Getty Images

Does a cult of personality surround Lukashenko?

Lukashenko's rule is usually characterised as iron-fisted. However, he would not have been able to rule since 1994 without a certain degree of public consent, as well as authoritarian conditions imposed on the political opposition, and support from Russia.

In serious independent research, he appears much more often as a reflection of a country where an upgraded understanding of the Soviet model of politics is very much alive.



His social contract is based on constant economic growth and a more equal level of the distribution of wealth.

His social contract is based on constant economic growth and a more equal level of the distribution of wealth. The building of a strong power vertical, strong control mechanisms, functional (in the Soviet manner) state institutions as well as little corruption used to give Belarusians a better feeling about his leadership.



However, the model retained by Lukashenko was based on heavy subsidies in the form of cheap oil and gas from the Russian Federation. Without such subsidies and repression of the political opposition, the model would not be sustainable.

Does Lukashenko have the support of the average Belarusian?

In 1994, Lukashenko unexpectedly won the first Belarusian presidential election. Since that time, measuring his popularly has been difficult for two reasons. First, because since 1994, elections have been neither free nor fair. Second, most of the population has no access to independent media.



In the first and only relatively democratic elections of 1994, Lukashenko received 44.82 per cent in the first round, and 80.1 per cent in the runoff. That constituted 56 per cent of all registered voters. He was re-elected in 2001, 2006 and 2010 with around 80 per cent of votes each time. Most international election observers characterised these elections as neither free nor fair. Restrictions on campaigning by opposition candidates, censorship of the media, coercion of voters, ballot stuffing and non-transparent counting of votes are the most common examples of election irregularities in Belarus.

In the absence of free elections, it is difficult to estimate the level of support for Lukashenko. During the years of relative prosperity, as a result of generous Russian subsidies, most Belarusians passively tolerated the regime. He is not unpopular – some estimates suggest as many as 50% of Belarusians broadly approve of him.

However, the situation is changing because of the economic crisis, which resulted from Russia’s cuts to subsidies to Belarus. Despite censorship in the state media and propaganda campaigns, many Belarusians have become disillusioned with Lukashenko.

Are most Belarusians pro-Russian?

Most Belarusians do not have access to independent media and as a result public opinion in the country is determined by the state-run media, which is mainly pro-Russian and anti-Western.

In a poll published by the Institute for Independent Social and Economic Political Research (IISEPS) in March, respondents were given a hypothetical choice between integration with Russia and joining the European Union. 51.5% of Belarusian respondents said they would choose the first option and 32.9% would chose the second. In December 2013, that ratio was 36.4% in favour of closer ties with Russia, against 44.6% in favour of the EU.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Russia's President Vladimir Putin (R) visits Lukashenko in Minsk on 2 July, 2014, to mark Independence Day. Photograph: Sergey Guneyev/AFP/Getty Images

How sensitive is the language question in Belarus?

In the mid-1990s, the language question was one of the most contested in Belarusian politics. Lukashenko skilfully positioned himself as the protector of the Russian language in Belarus, which helped him get political and economic support from Moscow.

However, this week, Lukashenko gave his first public address in Belarusian instead of Russian since 1994, sparking speculation that Lukashenko is asserting his autonomy from Russia (especially as the speech came one day before a visit from Russian president Vladimir Putin) in the wake of Russia's annexation of Crimea.

Among the Belarusian public, the language issue is no longer controversial. Education and schooling in the Belarusian language are marginalised, and Belarusian is almost never, aside from this week, used in official communication. Although the majority of people consider Belarusian their native language, the language is spoken primarily in rural areas and by the intelligentsia.

Do Belarusians need permission to leave the country?

Belarus is one of the few countries of the former Soviet Union that does not require a special passport for foreign travel. In the past, the Belarusian authorities would issue a special stamp to validate a passport for foreign travel for a five-year period. Today, the stamp is no longer in use, and the national passport is automatically valid for foreign travel. It is never an issue for people to leave the country or to come back, with a few notable exceptions of pressure on prominent opposition leaders.



In the past, the Belarusian authorities would issue a special stamp to validate a passport for foreign travel for a five-year period

The biggest obstacle Belarusians face when they decide to travel abroad is getting a foreign visa, especially to the United States or the European Union. Since Belarus’ European neighbours – Latvia, Lithuania and Poland – joined the Schengen area, to spend a weekend outside Belarus’ western borders a Belarusian citizen needs to prove that he/she has a job, money and a reason to travel. This involves providing many translated and notarised documents, and Belarusians can never be sure whether they will be issued visas even if their documents are in order.



Does Belarus have low unemployment?

The Belarusian authorities proudly report that the level of unemployment in Belarus is around 1%. This figure, however, does not reflect reality.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Workers rest as they work in a foundry of Minsk Automobile Factory in 2009. Photograph: Vasily Fedosenko/Reuters

The registration process for unemployment benefits is cumbersome, and the unemployed are required to perform public works in order to get state benefits. Hence, very few unemployed actually register and the official statistics are overly optimistic.



The Belarusian authorities proudly report that the level of unemployment in Belarus is around 1%. This figure, however, does not reflect reality.

Hidden unemployment levels remains very high, and there is a considerable imbalance between the supply and demand for some occupations and in some regions. A relatively low unemployment level during conditions of a production slump is maintained mostly by the labour force surplus in large enterprises. Youth unemployment is of special concern. The proportion of unemployed 16-29 year-olds is steadily rising.



Is healthcare in Belarus free?

Officially health care is free in Belarus. However, an ordinary Belarusian very often cannot obtain even basic services free of charge. There are some segments of the health care system where people do not have to pay. That includes staying in a shared hospital room, birth delivery, vaccinations etc. Emergency care is free, but medical services beyond that such as dental care are provided at an acceptable level only at an extra cost (legal or not).

Facebook Twitter Pinterest A child has a medical examination in the Gomel region of Belarus, which was contaminated by the Chernobyl nuclear accident. Photograph: Gary Calton

However, even for these services it is usually recommended to give health care workers something to make them 'look after you better'. Though deemed a form of bribery, the widespread illegal payments or official fees for health workers encompasses all levels of public health – from a nurse administering injections to top specialists consulting on complicated cases. Very frequently it is not money that is given, but some expensive gift, like expensive cognac.



Lukashenko's regime has gradually been reducing the social achievements of the Soviet times

The health infrastructure is a remnant of Soviet times, and was neither built nor developed by Lukashenko's regime. On the contrary, his governments have gradually been reducing the social achievements of the Soviet times. At the same time, there are a number of private clinics in Minsk where services are offered at a good standard, using modern equipment. Costs for such services are paid out of pocket, because the system of medical insurance is underdeveloped in Belarus.



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