Background: After seven decades as a constituent republic of the USSR, Belarus attained its
independence in 1991. It has retained closer political and economic ties to
Russia than any of the other former Soviet republics. Belarus and Russia signed
a treaty on a two-state union on 8 December 1999 envisioning greater political
and economic integration. Although Belarus agreed to a framework to carry out
the accord, serious implementation has yet to take place. Since his election in
July 1995 as the country's first president, Alexander LUKASHENKO has steadily
consolidated his power through authoritarian means. Government restrictions on
freedom of speech and the press, peaceful assembly, and religion continue.
Location: Eastern Europe, east of Poland
Population: 10,300,483 (July 2005 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 16% (male 839,292/female 804,738)
15-64 years:
69.5% (male 3,481,432/female 3,672,991)
65 years and over: 14.6%
(male 498,717/female 1,003,313) (2005 est.)
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