Democracy and Governance in Belarus
The Development Challenge:
Fourteen years after independence, Belarus continues to regress steadily from aspirations for pursuing democratically-oriented governance and transitioning into a competitive, market-based economy proclaimed in the early 1990s. Ostensibly a presidential republic, President Lukashenko continues to dominate political, social and economic aspects of government decision making. In 2004 Belarus' fourth round of elections since 2000 was described by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, as "fundamentally flawed." Ten years into his rule, the referendum associated with the National Assembly election allowed President Lukashenko unlimited terms as President. Further, not a single opposition candidate has won a seat to the 110-member National Assembly this year. As a result, the handful of moderate reformers will be replaced by Lukashenko's loyalists.
The current Government of Belarus (GOB) lacks an effectively organized opposition as emerging political parties still do not have wide electoral support and are not allowed to pass parliamentary reform measures. The independent media continues to face escalating pressures, and civil society organizations, while still emerging, remain marginalized from national development dialogues or initiatives. This year, members of the parliamentary Respublika group staged a hunger strike because election reform was not put on the parliamentary agenda. Those initiatives were voted down and resulted in harassment of their proponents through criminal investigation, violation of immunity, and physical abuse. The Constitutional Court also remains ineffective, never challenging presidential initiatives, and consistently endorsing the constitutional nature of presidential referendums. The licensing of lawyers and the bar association remains under the Ministry of Justice's control, seriously compromising the independence of lawyers, several of whom reported they would be denied licenses due to their activities in non-governmental organizations (NGOs) or political parties. Numerous human rights abuses also were reported throughout Belarus, with authorities disregarding credible disappearance cases, harassing independent labor unions, and beating or arresting pro-democracy leaders or activists. The Belarusian Orthodox Church is the only church officially recognized in Belarus and enjoys preferential government treatment. Authorities deploy a range of measures which continue to deny citizens the right to learn about, influence, or change government policies or representatives.
Belarus continues to rank extremely poorly in both investment climate and economic freedom, with the authorities remaining committed to only "socially-oriented" market reform. The GOB's industrial sector policy intends to favor employment but remains uncompetitive given the government's practice of increasing wages more quickly than productivity growth. In the agricultural sector, the rural population remains dependent upon budget subsidies designed to keep afloat unviable collective and state farms. Private ownership of agricultural lands also remains prohibited.
In 2004, the government continued to campaign against NGOs and political parties, and to restrict media, assembly, and association freedoms. State-owned printing houses have refused to publish many independent newspapers, while state-run distribution agencies have either refused to distribute independent newspapers or severed distribution agreements with such newspapers. Other economic and social constraints include: difficulty in obtaining SME licensing; inconsistency in honoring private ownership and contract rights; and difficulty in establishing working relationships between domestic and foreign businesses, and central and local governments.
Despite having presided over an authoritarian regime, Mr. Lukashenko still enjoys the support of an estimated one-third of the electorate. This is explained by the fact that Belarus, unlike other former Soviet states, has avoided dislocations caused by more substantive economic restructuring and market reforms. Unemployment and inflation remain low, while real annual gross domestic product (GDP) growth in 2004 is about 9%. Budget deficits are low, and social benefits and wages have been maintained better than in other former Soviet republics. Whereas political and economic relations with Russia have improved since 2003, the government continues to be isolated internationally. Despite extensive international criticism, Lukashenko is unlikely to introduce more liberal and democratic practices.
(Excerpted from the 2006 Congressional Budget Justification for Belarus)
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