October | 2012 | BelarusDigest

Belarusian Opposition in 2012 Parliamentary Election

The Parliamentary election of 2012 never had the ingredients to be transformative, but it did offer the chance for the opposition to present a credible platform to the population - and to seek to create space for issues to...

10 October 2012

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Belarus Censuses: Population Declines, National Identity Strengthens

Official population censuses in Belarus conducted in 1989, 1999 and 2009 reveal a number of interesting trends. They show that the population is declining, the proportion of those who identify themselves as Belarusian is increasing and the role of the Belarusian language is weakening. The period of Lukashenka's...

9 October 2012

Vatican Helps to Release Belarusian Political Prisoners

Apostolic nuncio Claudio Gugerotti is the only diplomat who can visit the Belarusian prisoners of conscience.The Holy See seems to work as an intermediary between the European Union and Lukashenka with regard to release of the political prisoners. The nunciature tries...

8 October 2012

BATE Borisov Made the World Talk about Belarus

Belarusian football is now experiencing extraordinary historic moments. For the first time ever the Union of the European Football Associations (UEFA) named a club from Belarus as the best team of the week in Europe. This happened after BATE Borisov shocked...

5 October 2012

Lukashenka’s Anti-Russian Alliance with Georgia Under Threat

This week Lukashenka lost one of his most important allies. Georgian leader Mikheil Saakashvili lost parliamentary elections and is going to switch to opposition. Belarusian ruler expressed his admiration for Saakashvili which was willing to give up the power. Saakashvili...

4 October 2012

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Who is in the New Belarusian Parliament?

The 2012 parliamentary election in Belarus is over. The Central Elections Committee announced those who will be in the new parliament. A typical MP is a non-partisan male aged between 50 and 60. He made his career in state sector...

3 October 2012

Dazhynki Festival: Belarusian Tradition or Lukashenka’s Propaganda?

Seventy years ago, on 4 October 1942 German authorities organised Dazhynki festival in Minsk. It was the first time the festival took place in Belarus with the highest level of state support. On 21 September 2012 Aleksandr Lukashenka was opening a Dazhynki festival in...

2 October 2012

What to Expect in EU-Belarus Relations – Digest of Belarusian Analytics

Analysts focus on the effect of recent elections on the politic landscape of Belarus and whether the European Union can do anything to improve the situation in Belarus. The EU and Belarus: Perpetual Tango All Over Again?...

1 October 2012

The Rise and Fall of Affordable Housing in Belarus

Whether you arrive in Minsk from the airport, bus or railway station, one of the first things you notice is abundant construction. You will see construction sites almost everywhere. New shiny office buildings of glass and concrete grow in the...