Administrative divisions
6 provinces (voblastsi, singular - voblasts') and 1 municipality* (horad); Brest, Homyel', Horad Minsk*, Hrodna, Mahilyow, Minsk, Vitsyebsk
note: administrative divisions have the same names as their administrative centers |
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Capital city > Geographic coordinates
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53 54 N, 27 34 E |
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Definition: Government > Capital city > Geographic coordinates |
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Source: All CIA World Factbooks 18 December 2003 to 18 December 2008 |
Constitution
15 March 1994; revised by national referendum of 24 November 1996 giving the presidency greatly expanded powers and became effective 27 November 1996; revised again 17 October 2004 removing presidential term limits |
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Definition: Government > Constitution |
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Source: All CIA World Factbooks 18 December 2003 to 18 December 2008 |
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Corruption
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2.6 |
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[116th of 160]
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Definition: Government > Corruption |
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Source: All CIA World Factbooks 18 December 2003 to 18 December 2008 |
Diplomatic representation from the US > Mailing address
PSC 78, Box B Minsk, APO 09723 |
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Definition: Government > Diplomatic representation from the US > Mailing address |
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Source: Transparency International |
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Executive branch > Cabinet
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Council of Ministers |
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Definition: Government > Executive branch > Cabinet |
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Source: All CIA World Factbooks 18 December 2003 to 18 December 2008 |
Executive branch > Chief of state
President Aleksandr LUKASHENKO (since 20 July 1994) |
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Definition: Government > Executive branch > Chief of state |
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Source: All CIA World Factbooks 18 December 2003 to 18 December 2008 |
Flag description
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 |
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Definition: Government > Flag description |
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Source: All CIA World Factbooks 18 December 2003 to 18 December 2008 |
Government type
republic in name, although in fact a dictatorship |
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Definition: Government > Government type |
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Source: All CIA World Factbooks 18 December 2003 to 18 December 2008 |
Independence
25 August 1991 (from Soviet Union) |
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Definition: Government > Independence |
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Source: All CIA World Factbooks 18 December 2003 to 18 December 2008 |
Judicial branch
Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president); Constitutional Court (half of the judges appointed by the president and half appointed by the Chamber of Representatives) |
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Definition: Government > Judicial branch |
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Source: All CIA World Factbooks 18 December 2003 to 18 December 2008 |
Legal system
based on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
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Definition: Government > Legal system |
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Source: All CIA World Factbooks 18 December 2003 to 18 December 2008 |
Legislative branch
bicameral National Assembly or Natsionalnoye Sobranie consists of the Council of the Republic or Soviet Respubliki (64 seats; 56 members elected by regional councils and eight 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) |
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Definition: Government > Legislative branch |
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Source: All CIA World Factbooks 18 December 2003 to 18 December 2008 |
Political parties and leaders
Pro-government parties: Agrarian Party or AP [leader NA]; Belarusian Communist Party or KPB [leader NA]; Belarusian Patriotic Movement (Belarusian Patriotic Party) or BPR [Anatoliy BARANKEVICH, chairman]; Liberal Democratic Party of Belarus [Sergei GAYDUKEVICH]; Social-Sports Party [leader NA]; Opposition parties: 10 Plus Coalition [Alyaksandr MILINKEVICH], includes: Belarusian Party of Communists or PKB [Syarhey KALYAKIN]; Belarusian Party of Labor (unregistered) [Aleksandr BUKHVOSTOV, Leonid LEMESHONAK]; Belarusian Popular Front or BPF [Vintsyuk VYACHORKA]; Belarusian Social-Democratic Party Narodnaya Hromada or BSDP NH [Alyaksandr KOZULIN, chairman]; Green Party [Alyaksandr SYKALA]; United Civic Party or UCP [Anatol LYABEDSKA]; Party of Freedom and Progress (unregistered) [Vladimir NOVOSYAD]; Women's Party "Nadezhda" [Valentina MATUSEVICH, chairperson] |
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Definition: Government > Political parties and leaders |
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Source: All CIA World Factbooks 18 December 2003 to 18 December 2008 |
Political pressure groups and leaders
Assembly of Pro-Democratic NGOs [Sergey MATSKEVICH]; Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions [Aleksandr YAROSHUK]; Belarusian Helsinki Committee [Tatiana PROTKO]; Belarusian Organization of Working Women [Irina ZHIKHAR]; Charter 97 [Andrey SANNIKOV]; For Freedom (unregistered) [Aleksandr MILINKEVICH]; Lenin Communist Union of Youth (youth wing of the Belarusian Party of Communists or PKB); National Strike Committee of Entrepreneurs [Aleksandr VASILYEV, Valery LEVONEVSKY]; Partnership NGO [Nikolay ASTREYKA]; Perspektiva kiosk watchdog NGO [Anatol SHUMCHENKO]; Vyasna [Ales BYALATSKY]; Women's Independent Democratic Movement [Ludmila PETINA]; Youth Front (Malady Front) [Dmitriy DASHKEVICH, Sergey BAKHUN]; Zubr youth group [Vladimir KOBETS] |
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Definition: Government > Political pressure groups and leaders |
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Source: All CIA World Factbooks 18 December 2003 to 18 December 2008 |
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Status
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pseudo-democracy |
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Definition: Government > Status |
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Source: All CIA World Factbooks 18 December 2003 to 18 December 2008 |
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal |
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Definition: Government > Suffrage |
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Source: electionworld.org |
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Time required to start a business > days
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69 days
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[29th of 171]
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Definition: Government > Time required to start a business > days |
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Source: All CIA World Factbooks 18 December 2003 to 18 December 2008 |
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Trademarks, residents
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2,410
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[29th of 98]
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Definition: Government > Trademarks, residents |
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Source: World Development Indicators database |
Transnational Issues > Disputes > International
Boundary demarcated with Latvia and Lithuania in 2006; 1997 boundary delimitation treaty with Ukraine remains unratified over unresolved financial claims, preventing demarcation and diminishing border security |
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Definition: Government > Transnational Issues > Disputes > International |
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Source: World Development Indicators database |
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