Skip to main content
Menu Menu Close
Africa
Americas
Asia and the Pacific
Europe
Western Asia
Flag

Belarus

Monthly Event Reports

February 2024 | Elections reach new low in Belarus
Election flag

Belarus parliamentary and local elections held on 25 February were the first contest since the massive crackdown on all forms of political expression and activism that followed the 2020 elections. Only parties loyal to President Alyaksandr Lukashenka were permitted to participate and local activists reported that public employees were being forced to take part. Nobel laureate Viasna Human Rights Centre said elections were held under “conditions of incessant repression; in the virtual absence of freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association; in a climate of total fear and political purge.” No election in independent Belarus has ever been judged free or fair, and for the first time the country refused to permit international observers to attend.

November 2023 | Belarusians must receive permission to move abroad

New regulations published on 20 November say that Belarusians who plan to leave the country to take up permanent residence elsewhere must now receive permission from the Citizenship and Migration Department before departing. Citizens were previously asked to register at a consulate. Applicants must now also file a wide range of personal documentation, including relatives’ contact details, and officials will check if the applicant is barred from leaving the country for any reason.

October 2023 | Last democratic opposition party deregistered

On 29 September the Supreme Court of Belarus upheld the deregistration by the Ministry of Justice of the last political party opposing President Alyaksandr Lukashenka in the country, Belarusian Left Party "A Just World." The party had split from the former Belarusian Communist Party in the 1990s and had supported liberal opposition parties and the popular protest movement in recent years.

September 2023 | No new passports for Belarusians abroad

Belarus will no longer renew or issue new passports to its citizens abroad, according to a decree signed by President Alyaksandr Lukashenka. An estimated 200,000 to 1 million Belarusian citizens live outside the country, and human rights advocates condemned the explicit limits on freedom of movement as well as the implicit threat to journalists, activists and political opposition who have moved outside the country to avoid harassment by security services as well as the risk of torture and imprisonment. Lithuania, which is home to an estimated 58,000 Belarusian citizens, has announced plans to begin issuing “foreign passports” to Belarusians who did not want to comply. The US State Department condemned the Belarusian government’s move and said it was in “close consultation” with European countries to find ways to support Belarusian expatriates.

Explore past monthly event reports

GSoD Indices Data 2013-2022

Chevron

Basic Information

Chevron
Population Tooltip
9 340 310
System of government
Presidential system
Head of government
President Alyaksandr Lukashenka (disputed since 2020)
Head of government party
Independent
Electoral system for lower or single chamber
First Past the Post
Women in lower or single chamber
40.0%
Women in upper chamber
25.0%
Last legislative election
2019
Head of state
President Alyaksandr Lukashenka (disputed since 2020)
Selection process for head of state
Direct election (two-round majority)
Latest Universal Periodic Review (UPR) date
02/11/2020
Latest Universal Periodic Review (UPR) percentage of recommendations supported
51.50%
Population Tooltip
9 340 310
System of government
Presidential system
Head of government
President Alyaksandr Lukashenka (disputed since 2020)
Head of government party
Independent
Electoral system for lower or single chamber
First Past the Post
Women in lower or single chamber
40.0%
Women in upper chamber
25.0%
Last legislative election
2019
Head of state
President Alyaksandr Lukashenka (disputed since 2020)
Selection process for head of state
Direct election (two-round majority)
Latest Universal Periodic Review (UPR) date
02/11/2020
Latest Universal Periodic Review (UPR) percentage of recommendations supported
51.50%
Tooltip text

Human Rights Treaties

Chevron
State Party State party
Signatory Signatory
No Action No action
United Nations Human Right Treaties
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
State Party
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
State Party
International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination
State Party
Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women
State Party
Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or Punishment
State Party
Convention on the Rights of the Child
State Party
International Convention on Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families
No Action
International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance 
No Action
International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
State Party
International Labour Organisation Treaties
Forced Labour Convention
State Party
Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention
State Party
Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention
State Party
Equal Remuneration Convention
State Party
Abolition of Forced Labour Convention
State Party
Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention
State Party
Convention concerning Minimum Age for Admission to Employment
State Party
Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention
State Party
in
Tooltip text

Performance by category over the last 6 months

Representation neutral Representation
Sep 2023
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb 2024
Representation neutral Rights
Sep 2023
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb 2024
Representation neutral Rule of law
Sep 2023
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb 2024
Representation neutral Participation
Sep 2023
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb 2024

Global State of Democracy Indices

Hover over the trend lines to see the exact data points across the years

Explore the indices
Representation
Representation
0
/1
high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4
Rights
Rights
0
/1
high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4
Rule of Law
Rule of Law
0
/1
high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4
Participation
Participation
0
/1
high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4
Annual value

Factors of Democratic Performance Over Time

Use the slider below to see how democratic performance has changed over time

0 10