| President of the Republic of Belarus | |
|---|---|
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| Presidential Administration of Belarus | |
| Style | Mr President (informal) His Excellency (diplomatic) |
| Status | |
| Residence | Independence Palace, Minsk(ceremonial) Presidential Residence,Minsk(residential) |
| Appointer | Popular vote |
| Term length | Five years, renewable once |
| Constituting instrument | Constitution of Belarus (1995) |
| Precursor | Chairman of the Supreme Council |
| Formation | 20 July 1994; 31 years ago (1994-07-20) |
| First holder | Alexander Lukashenko |
| Deputy | Prime Minister |
| Salary | ~84,000Belarusian rubles/US$33,600, annually[3] |
| Website | Official website |
Thepresident of the Republic of Belarus[b] is thehead of state ofBelarus. The office was created in 1994 with the passing of theConstitution of Belarus by theSupreme Council. This replaced the office ofChairman of the Supreme Council as the head of state. The tasks of the president include executingforeign anddomestic policy, defending the rights and general welfare of citizens and residents, and upholding the Constitution. The president is mandated by the Constitution to serve as a leader in the social affairs of the country and to act as its main representative abroad. The duties, responsibilities and other transitional clauses dealing with the presidency are listed in Chapter Three, Articles 79 through 89, of the Constitution.
The term for the president is five years, but due to a1996 referendum,the election that was supposed to occur in 1999 was pushed back to 2001. Under the 1994 constitution, the president of Belarus could only serve for two terms, but due toa change in the constitution, term limits were eliminated.[4] In the2022 constitutional referendum, a limit of two terms was reimposed, though only on "newly elected presidents". During the course of the office, elections were held in1994,2001,2006,2010,2015,2020 and2025.Alexander Lukashenko is currently the only person to have been president of Belarus since the position was established in 1994. The presidential office is located in thePalace of the Republic in the capitalMinsk, while the presidential residence is located inZaslawye, near the capital.
Lukashenko heads anauthoritarian government and has often been referred to as "Europe's lastdictator".[5]Elections are not considered to befree and fair byinternational monitors, opponents of the regime arerepressed, and themedia is not free.[6][7]
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Judiciary |
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Belarus first declared independence in early 1918 as theBelarusian Democratic Republic. Its head of state was the president of a provisional supreme governing body, theRada of the Belarusian Democratic Republic. In 1919, the SovietRed Army forced the Rada of the Belarusian Democratic Republic intoexile where the Rada still exists, now led by PresidentIvonka Survilla. Under Soviet rule, thede facto leader of theByelorussian SSR was the first secretary of theCommunist Party of Byelorussia, the only legal party in Soviet Belarus.[citation needed]
The Republic of Belarus was formed in 1991 shortly after declaring itself independent of theSoviet Union. From independence until passage of the Constitution in 1994, the chairman of the Supreme Soviet was the head of state and theprime minister as the head of government. When the office of the presidency was created, the role of the prime minister was reduced to assisting the president and resulted in the dissolution of the Supreme Soviet, along with its chairman, in 1996.[8][9]
In the first set of elections for the office of president, the prime minister of Belarus,Vyacheslav Kebich, was defeated in a runoff vote by Alexander Lukashenko, resulting in Lukashenko becoming the first president.[8] In elections of 2001 and 2006, which were contested by international observers,Western powers and internal opposition parties due for failing to meet democratic and fair standards,[10] the incumbent Lukashenko defeated the other candidates within the first ballot. As of 24 September 2025[update], he is the only person to have served as President of Belarus.[11]
Article 79 of theConstitution of Belarus gives the status ofhead of state to the president of the Republic of Belarus. They are also considered the guardian of the Constitution and the rights and freedoms of those who claim Belarusian citizenship or residency. The president is the personification of unification of the Belarusian state when conducting foreign or internal affairs and shall be the main representative when dealing with other nations or international organizations. The president is also entrusted with the safety, prosperity and stability of the country and acts as an intermediary between the bodies of the national government.[12]
During their tenure in office, the president is barred from formal membership in a political party.
In order to be able to run for office, a candidate must be a Belarusian citizen by birth that is over thirty-five years old. The candidate must also reside within the republic for ten years and able to cast a ballot legally. The provisions are set down in Article 80 of the Constitution.[12]
Elections for president occur every five years by a national vote. To be registered as a candidate for the presidency the prospective candidate is first required to have an initiative group of citizens containing no fewer than 100 persons.[13] The initiative group must be registered with the Central Elections Commission no later than 85 days before the election.[13] If successfully registered, the nominated candidate is tasked with collecting at least 100,000 valid signatures from eligible voters. If the Central Elections Commissions find that this threshold has been reached, the candidate is officially certified to run for the presidency.[13]
In the voting, the secret ballots are collected directly from eligible voters. The election is valid only if more than 50 % of registered voters cast a ballot. During the first round of voting, if a candidate earns fifty percent plus one of the votes, they are declared the President-elect. If no one has achieved that number during the first round, then arun-off election will occur between two candidates who won the most votes. The person who wins the most votes in the run-off is declared the president-elect.[12]
In the event the office is vacant, the election to replace the president must occur between thirty and seventy days after the vacancy occurred. During normal election cycles, the elections must occur before the last two months of the current president. In either situation, the government body that calls for elections is theHouse of Representatives.[12] The last round ofpresidential electionsoccurred in 2025.[14] President Lukashenko, when addressing the press in February 2007, stated his health will determine if he will run in 2011 or step down at that time.[15]
Articles 84 and 85 states the official political, social and national defense duties that are rested with the president. Other than the enumerated powers, Number 30 allows the president to use other powers granted to them either from national law or from other sections of the Constitution.[12]
Part of the prerogative of the president is the right to callreferendums, and to call regular and extraordinary elections to the House of Representatives, theCouncil of the Republic and local representative bodies. They can also dissolve both chambers of the Parliament, as the Constitution permits. It is their duty to appoint theprime minister of the Republic of Belarus, and to decide the structure of theGovernment of the Republic of Belarus. The president signs bills, and has the right toveto and return it, fully or in parts, with objections to the House of Representatives. They also appoint – and can dismiss – the deputy Prime ministers, the ministers and the other members of the Government, and they decide in cases of resignation of the Government, or any of its members.[12]
The president appoints the chairperson of theSupreme Court, and can dismiss this chairperson and other judges. The president is supposed to deliver annual messages to the Parliament, and has the right to participate in the sessions of Parliament and its bodies. In instances of strike, the president has the right, in instances specified in the law, to defer or suspend a strike for a period not exceeding three months. In international affairs, it is the president's duty to conduct negotiations and sign international treaties, and to appoint and recall diplomatic representatives of the Republic.[12]
Not only is the president the head of government, they are the social leader of Belarus. The president delivers messages to the citizens several times a year and can issuedecrees to establish red letter days and national holidays. The president is the main authority for the granting of Belarusian citizen and can presentstate decorations to honored individuals. The president also has the ability to determine the status of asylum seekers and grantpardons to convicted citizens.[12]
As the supremecommander-in-chief of theBelarusian Armed Forces, the president has the duty to protect the Belarusian territory from internal and external forces. The president can call for astate of emergency in the following cases: natural disasters, a catastrophe, or unrest involving violence or the threat of violence. Regardless if the declaration affects the entire country or sections of it, theCouncil of the Republic must be notified by the president and must seek their approval within three days of notification. The same rules applies if the president issues a state ofmartial law in the event of a possible military action against Belarus. The president has to form and head the Security Council of the Republic of Belarus, and can appoint and dismiss the state secretary of the Security Council and the Supreme Command of the Armed Forces.[12]
Before any person can assume the office officially, anoath must be sworn within two months of the election results being finalized. The text of the oath is as follows:
Assuming the office of President of the Republic of Belarus, I solemnly swear to faithfully serve the people of the Republic of Belarus, to respect and safeguard the rights and liberties of man and citizen, to abide by and protect the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus, and to discharge strictly and conscientiously the lofty duties that have been bestowed upon me.
During the inauguration ceremony, members of both houses of theNational Assembly, government ministers, officials and judges from theConstitutional,Supreme andEconomic Court must be present. Upon reading of the oath, any powers held by a previous president will be transferred to the president-elect. The text of the oath can be found in Article 83 of the Constitution.[12]
Articles 87 through 89 of the Constitution deal with how the presidency can change hands in-between election cycles. The president has the ability to resign from office at any time under Article 87. The letter of resignation is sent to theHouse of Representatives and is accepted by them. The president has the ability to be removed from office if their physical or mental health is impaired under Article 88. In order for this to happen, a two-thirds majority must be reached in the House of Representatives and theCouncil of the Republic on the resolution to remove the president.[12]
Anad hoc committee is formed and must make the determination about the state of health before any motion can begin. If the president has committed a grave crime, such astreason, one-third of the House must bring charges against the president formally. The investigation of the charges will be conducted by the Council of the Republic. In order to evict the president from office, a two-thirds majority is needed to vote in favor of conviction. The criminal case is further sent to the Supreme Court for review. The actions of either option must occur one month after the resolution is passed or the action will be considered void by the Constitution.[12]
Under Article 79 of the Constitution, the president is immune from arrest, with exception to the treason/grave crimes clauses listed in Article 88 in the same document. Also under Article 79, the honor and dignity of the president will be protected by national law.[12] Information, either printed in the news or reported ontelevision, that is considereddefamation against the president is illegal under Article 5 of the Belarusian Law on Press.[16][17]
The Presidential Palace (Belarusian:Рэзідэнцыя Прэзідэнта,Russian:Резиденция президента) is aStalinist Empire style building located onOctober Square inMinsk surrounded by the streets ofMarx,Engels,Kirov andKomsomol. Like the AmericanWhite House, the streets close to the official residence are closed off to vehicular traffic and are patrolled by police forces. Having been used since 1994, it formerly housed the Central Committee of theCommunist Party of Byelorussia.[18][19] The president also has use of theIndependence Palace in Minsk.
Officially, the only symbol denoting the presence of the president is theflag of the president of Belarus (Штандар Прэзідэнта Рэспублікі Беларусь). The standard, which has been in use since March 27, 1997, was adopted by a decree called "Concerning the Standard of the President of Republic of Belarus." signed into law by President Lukashenko.
The standard's design is an exact copy of thenational flag, with the addition of theBelarusian national emblem in gold. The standard's ratio of 5:6 differs from that of the national flag, making the standard almost square. The standard is bordered by a goldenfringe. There are several copies of the standard; the original is kept in the office of the president while other copies are used on buildings, residences and vehicles to denote their presence.[20][21]
| No. | Portrait | Name (born–died) | Term of office | Political party | Elected | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | ||||||
| 1 | .jpg) | Alexander Lukashenko (born 1954) | 20 July 1994 | Incumbent[c] | 31 years, 127 days | Independent (close toBelaya Rus) | 1994 2001 2006 2010 2015 2020 2025 | |
In the2020 election, Lukashenko was re-elected for a sixth term withSviatlana Tsikhanouskaya as the opposition candidate and the runner-up. Tsikhanouskaya would go on to create theCoordination Council, recognised by theMinistry of Internal Affairs of Belarus as an extremist organisation.
Several EU countries and the US say they do not recognise Mr. Lukashenko as the legitimate president of Belarus.
'..an authoritarian ruling style is characteristic of me [Lukashenko]'Levitsky, Steven; Way, Lucan A. (2010). "The Evolution of Post-SovietCompetitive Authoritarianism".Competitive Authoritarianism: Hybrid Regimes after the Cold War. Problems of International Politics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 203.ISBN 9781139491488. Retrieved12 June 2020.
Unlike his predecessor, Lukashenka consolidated authoritarian rule. He censored state media, closed Belarus's only independent radio station [...].Treisman, Rachel (16 August 2020)."One Week After Election, Belarus Sees Giant Protests Against 'Europe's Last Dictator'".NPR. Retrieved24 August 2020.
unanimous agreement among serious scholars that... Lukashenko's 2015 election occurred within an authoritarian context.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link). Published November 26, 1996. Retrieved June 7, 2007.Several EU countries and the US say they do not recognise Mr. Lukashenko as the legitimate president of Belarus.
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| Parliamentary elections | |
| Municipal elections | |
| Referendums | |