Belarus
The last dictatorial bastion of socialism in Europe
The Republic of Belarus is a country in the geographical centre of Europe. Many people often confuse it with Russia. But, it is entirely another country. In Belarus, there are many forests and therefore it is called the "lungs" of Europe. Among Europeans, there is an opinion that Belarus is a state in which socialism still exists. This is due to the policy of one person, which is not generally accepted in Belarus.
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About the President
Alexander Lukashenko is the person many people have heard about. He was the winner of the anti-Nobel prize (Ig Nobel prize) and was awarded this non-honorable award for the prohibition of public applause. In Belarus it is forbidden to applaud in public places, except for places of exclusion.
An interesting fact: for violation of the ban on applause in the city of Minsk received a fine one-armed man.
Lukashenka is the first and only president of the country. He was repeatedly re-elected and at the moment is in power since 1994. He was re-elected 5 presidential terms and will soon elect himself again.
"Even if the whole world is against Lukashenko, he will still become president if he wants it."
- A. Lukashenko
For such statements, in the West, Alyaksandr Lukashenka is called: "The Last Dictator of Europe". This is a person who has a strong and strong-willed character and is not used to listening to the opinions of others. Very often he does not please Belarusians with new taxes and "winged expressions".
"Did you ask for rain? I gave you rain."
- A. Lukashenko
About his personal life, almost nothing is known. But in public, he likes to appear surrounded by young girls of model appearance. There are a lot of rumors about this. One thing is for sure, his health is excellent and he is not going to retire.
The main hobby of the president is hockey. That is why credit money, which should improve the economy, is spent on building ice palaces throughout the country. His team takes first place in the Belarusian hockey competitions. And the president himself can single-handedly score 10 goals in one game.
The closest people of Lukashenka are his children. He has three children and, under the "accidental" coincidence, two of them occupy large posts and hold a monopoly in public and private business.
Sons of the President
The youngest son is Nikolai Lukashenko.
This is the boy who was with his father at all important and business conferences, at meetings with the first persons of the states, met with the Pope, ran military exercises. Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev presented Nicholas with a registered gold pistol.
There are rumors that he is the future successor of the president of Belarus, but the president himself denies these rumors.
Another son - Alexander Lukashenko
He holds a high public office as chairman of the central council of the state association "Presidential Sports Club". He is also the head of all Belarusian lotteries.
The eldest son is Viktor Lukashenko
The elder son of the president holds the post of adviser to the president of Belarus on national security. Manages the Committee of State Security (KGB). According to unofficial data, he owns the monopoly of the largest chain of stores in the country.
Economy of Belarus
The economy of the republic exists only at the expense of constant monetary grants of other countries. Mainly due to the support of the Russian Federation and the Eurasian Stabilization and Development Fund.
An interesting fact: Some residents jokingly call the Belarusian economy "Lukanomika". This word is formed from the combination of the first letters of the president's surname and the word "economy".
The main way to earn money is refining. Belarus buys oil in the Russian Federation at low prices. This oil is processed at local refineries (oil refineries) and is sold to Europe several times more expensive. It's that simple.
Over the past 6 years, 26,235 individual entrepreneurs have completed their work in Belarus. People are not profitable to do business, big taxes and constant checks play a role.
During the time of Lukashenka's rule, the national currency - Belarussian ruble depreciated against the dollar at 99.98%. But different sources give different figures. The fact remains that the fall is strong. This affects the prices in the store. The trend is that prices are constantly rising, and wages are not. In 2017, the population's income fell. Imagine you were getting $ 500, and for the next month $ 250. Not pleasant, right? But this is not the first time, it was worse.
Unemployment tax - Presidential Decree No. 3
The last years in the country were mass reductions. The factories and enterprises became bankrupt and closed. The people were driven out into the street and the number of unemployed increased dramatically. This is not an easy time, the President of Belarus signed Decree No. 3 according to which every unemployed citizen must pay money to the state for being unemployed. This is both absurd and sad. Feast in Time of Plague. So it was until recently and will continue on.
This caused a wave of outrage among the residents of the country. In 2017, rallies of dissatisfied and embittered people were held throughout the country. People peacefully gathered and demanded one thing - Abolish the inhuman law and send the president to resign.
In response, an order was issued to brutally suppress growing discontent. The President called it "Get the raisins from the roll". Organizers of the rallies, right on the street and in front of passers-by people, were dragged into black minibuses and taken away in an unknown direction. Passers-by people managed to get a smartphone and broadcast what is happening on YouTube (If you want anyone can find such videos). Therefore, many people saw a real picture of the events on the air. People in civilian clothes (KGB) were not afraid of cameras and worked in crude form, adhering to the "policy of zero tolerance".
Interesting fact: In 2017 in the city of Grodno an invalid who was chained to a bed was fined for a fare without a ticket.
Eventually in the center of the capital, the city of Minsk, the last rally was to be held. But in the morning of the appointed day half of the city was blocked. The city was visited by prison cars, water cannons, special-purpose vehicles and military equipment. People were taken in cordon and divided into separate groups. After that, mass detentions began. Everyone was detained, from ordinary passers-by to old people. For greater persuasiveness, some people were beaten with truncheons.
As a result, the rally was completely suppressed. About 700 people were taken into custody (approximate figure). All were ordered to pay heavy fines. The president called all the dissatisfied and protesters "The Fifth Column" and the radicals. All participating militiamen and special forces received a good cash prize. Because of fear people did not gather in large numbers.
Decree No. 3 = Decree No. 1 - The unemployed again have to pay the state
Fortunately, the age of technology allowed to show the whole world what was really happening in the country. Pressure of the world community on these events, the introduction of sanctions allowed to weaken the operation of this law, and then to cancel. But they canceled only the name, and the meaning and purpose practically did not change.
An interesting fact: The Belarusian company was fined for an unlicensed version of the Microsoft Office. It was found that some decrees and decrees were printed on "pirate versions". It's funny.
Now under the amended law, every unemployed person is required to pay for each service that was previously free of charge. Calling an ambulance will be expensive, and if a person refuses to pay, the doctor has the right to refuse him treatment.
Is this fair? A person who has lost his job must pay for it to his state. The employment market does not offer a job, because it does not. If there are vacancies, then they are absolutely humiliating and low-paid. The official payment to an unemployed person, who is registered with the employment exchange, is $ 20 per month. But they will not be paid to you if you are not involved in labor.
On TV, we are told that, Belarus is a country for life ... but seeing the reality a question arises, is it so?
Authored by: Belarus Insider
(Author will not be curating this post for obvious reasons.)
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