The political framework of Belarus

Political Outline

Current Political Leaders

President: Aleksandr LUKASHENKO (since 20 July 1994)
Prime Minister: Alexander TOURTCHINE (since 10 March 2025)

Next Election Dates

Presidential: 2030
National Assembly: February 2029

Main Political Parties

Political parties in support of the President have a strong chance of securing seats during elections. Opposition parties are allowed to participate in elections but usually have no real chance of gaining power. Elections are generally marred by electoral fraud, and in 2019 OECD observers determined that the election was neither free nor impartial, with problems in the counting of the votes.

The current largest political forces represented in the parliament following the 2024 election all support president Lukashenko. They are:

- Belaya Rus: a public association that supports President Lukashenko, Russophilia, Euroscepticism
- Republican Party of Labor and Justice: centre-left, socialism
- Communist Party of Belarus (CPB): left-wing, liaises with numerous other communist parties
- Liberal Democratic Party (LDP): right-wing, conservative.

Other parties/organizations include:

Pro-government:

• Belarusian Agrarian Party
• Belarusian Patriotic Party
• Belarusian Social Sport Party
• Republican Party
• Social Democratic Party of Popular Accord

Opposition:

• Belarusian Christian Democracy Party
• Belarusian Party of the Green
• Belarusian Party of the Left "Just World"
• Belarusian Social-Democratic Assembly
• Belarusian Social Democratic Party
• Belarusian Social Democratic Party
• BPF Party
• Christian Conservative Party-BPF
• United Civic Party.

Executive Power

The President is the head of state and is elected by popular vote for a five-year term, with no term limits. The President holds executive powers. The Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Ministers, and the Council of Ministers are appointed by the President, with the Prime Minister’s appointment requiring approval by the National Assembly.

Legislative Power

The legislature in Belarus is bicameral. The National Assembly consists of two chambers: the Council of the Republic (the upper house), with 64 seats, 56 of which are elected by regional councils and 8 appointed by the President, all serving four-year terms; and the House of Representatives (the lower house), with 110 seats, all members elected by universal adult suffrage to serve four-year terms. The people of Belarus have limited political rights.