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Republic of Belarus | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991–1994 | |||||||||||
| Anthem: Дзяржаўны гімн Рэспублікі Беларусь (Belarusian) Dziaržaŭny himn Respubliki Biełaruś "State Anthem of the Republic of Belarus" | |||||||||||
.svg) Show globe Show map of Europe | |||||||||||
| Capital and largest city | Minsk 53°55′N27°33′E / 53.917°N 27.550°E /53.917; 27.550 | ||||||||||
| Official languages | Belarusian | ||||||||||
| Ethnic groups (1989 census) |
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| Demonym | Belarusian | ||||||||||
| Government | Parliamentary republic | ||||||||||
| Chairman of the Supreme Council | |||||||||||
• 1991–1994 (first) | Stanislav Shushkevich | ||||||||||
• 1994 | Vyachaslaw Kuznyatsow(acting) | ||||||||||
• 1994 (last) | Myechyslaw Hryb | ||||||||||
| Prime Minister | |||||||||||
• 1991–1994 (first & last) | Vyacheslav Kebich | ||||||||||
| Legislature | Supreme Council | ||||||||||
| Independencefrom theSoviet Union | |||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||
| 27 July 1990 | |||||||||||
• Independence declared | 25 August 1991 | ||||||||||
• Byelorussian SSR renamed to the Republic of Belarus | 19 September 1991 | ||||||||||
| 10 December 1991 | |||||||||||
• Internationally recognized (dissolution of the Soviet Union) | 26 December 1991 | ||||||||||
• New constitution adopted | 15 March 1994 | ||||||||||
• First presidential election started | 23 June 1994 | ||||||||||
| Area | |||||||||||
• Total | 207,595 km2 (80,153 sq mi) | ||||||||||
| Population | |||||||||||
• 1989 census | 10,151,806 | ||||||||||
| Currency | Belarusian ruble (BYB) | ||||||||||
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) | ||||||||||
• Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) | ||||||||||
| Calling code | +7 015/016/017/02 | ||||||||||
| ISO 3166 code | BY | ||||||||||
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| Today part of | Belarus | ||||||||||
Part ofa series on the |
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| History ofBelarus |
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| Prehistory |
| Middle ages |
| Early Modern |
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| Modern |
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 Belarus portal |
Between 1991 and 1994, theRepublic of Belarus had no official constitution separated from the Soviet system, as it largely relied on government structures inherited from theByelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic. The time period also was one of political tension between the formerCPB members and reformists, mostly aligned with theBelarusian Popular Front.
During theAugust Coup in 1991, theByelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic's branch of theCommunist Party of the Soviet Union supported the putsch. However, once the coup failed,Chairman of the Supreme CouncilNikolai Dementey (who was also first secretary of theCommunist Party of Byelorussia) was forced to resign from his post, leading to the election ofStanislav Shushkevich, a scientist, who while a member of the CPSU, was not directly tied to theApparats. Alongside this, he was known previously for his criticism of the Soviet government's disregard for theChernobyl Disaster.[1]
On August 25, 1991, the BSSR declared independence from the Soviet Union, becoming the Republic of Belarus. theWhite-red-white flag was re-adopted, alongside thePahonia. TheCPB was banned, alongside the largerCommunist Party of the Soviet Union.[citation needed]
A constitution was adopted in 1994, leading to the end of the period between theBSSR and modernBelarus.
TheChernobyl disaster remained a top issue in Belarusian politics throughout the 1990s. In 1991, the Belarusian state had to craft policy to handle the disaster on their own after the Soviet Union's collapse, and by extension, research institutions to inform said policy. By the late 1990s, Chernobyl had faded out of public consciousness, and thus political discussion in the country.[2]
Due to many of the political structures of Belarus being inherited from the BSSR, minus the CPSU's party politics, Belarus between 1991 and 1994 acted as aParliamentary republic with theSpeaker as Head of State. This position was held byStanislav Shushkevich at first, but was later taken up byMyechyslaw Hryb, a pro-Russian conservative aligned with theSupreme Council.[1]
In early 1992, the Belarusian Popular Front petitioned the government for early elections, but the Supreme Council rejected the petition, claiming massive irregularities, despite showcasing no evidence for such. As a concession to the opposition, parliamentary elections were set for March 1994. However, electoral reform failed to pass led to an ambiguous state for elections. Concerns stated by other countries, including the United States over continued delays in new elections were dismissed by the largely conservative Supreme Council as "interference in Belarusian affairs."[3]
Contrary to conditions in the other post-Soviet states, the Belarusian industrial sector initially had less severe decline, due to much of the government reluctant to adoptShock therapy.[4] Belarus also assumed 4.13% of the Soviet Union's debt, which it would later transfer toRussia in exchange for Soviet assets.[5]
During the early 1990s, Belarus had a very contradictory foreign policy, due to the various conflicts between the branches of government. The Foreign Minister at the time, Petr Krauchanka, advanced claims on neighboringLithuania with anationalist outlook, whileStanislav Shushkevich rejected such claims, and attempted to guarantee the current borders of the country. The Polish-Belarusian state declaration, signed in October 1991, ended Belarusian claims on Polish territory, and calmed fears amongst the small nationalist movement of Polish irredentism.[6]
| Ethnic group | census 19894 | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | % | |||||||||||||
| Belarusians | 7,904,623 | 77.9 | ||||||||||||
| Russians | 1,342,099 | 13.2 | ||||||||||||
| Poles | 417,720 | 4.1 | ||||||||||||
| Ukrainians | 291,008 | 2.9 | ||||||||||||
| Jews | 111,975 | 1.1 | ||||||||||||
| Armenians | 4,933 | 0.1 | ||||||||||||
| Tatars | 12,436 | 0.1 | ||||||||||||
| Romani | 10,762 | 0.1 | ||||||||||||
| Azerbaijanis | 5,009 | 0.1 | ||||||||||||
| Lithuanians | 7,606 | 0.1 | ||||||||||||
| Others | 43,635 | 0.4 | ||||||||||||
| Total | 10,151,806 | |||||||||||||
| Source:[7] | ||||||||||||||
Eastern Orthodox Christianity was (and still is) the main religion in Belarus. In the early 1990s, 60% of Belarus identified with Orthodoxy.Catholicism sat at about 8 to 20% of the population in the early 90s, with an estimate that 25% of them wereethnic Poles. This figure also includes theBelarusian Greek Catholic Church.[8] In 1990, there were about 350Protestant communities.[8]
Belarus was classified as "Partly Free" byFreedom House in their 1992–1993 report, with criticisms including the continued state ownership of media outlets and political conflicts obstructing reform.[9]
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