Belarus’ current President, Alexander Lukashenko, has been in office since 1994. He served in the Soviet Army and as the director of a state-owned agricultural enterprise before entering politics. Lukashenko and his mother were forced to fend for themselves after his father abandoned the family just a few years after WWII ended in a rural town in northern Belarus. Alexander Lukashenko was a lifelong follower of Leninist philosophy, enrolling in the Mogilev Teaching Institute after high school. Lukashenko spent three years as a political officer in the Soviet Border Guards after graduating. Lukashenko married Galina Zhelnerovich, his childhood sweetheart, after returning home. Lukashenko then rose through the ranks of the Komsomol, or Communist Youth Wing, to become its leader. Lukashenko afterwards joined a state-owned agricultural property to help support his growing family. Lukashenko was elected as a delegate to the Supreme Soviet of the Republic of Belarus and served as the chairman of a crucial anti-corruption committee after a stellar career overseeing a construction materials plant and a massive state-run farm complex. Only a year later, the Soviet Union disintegrated, and Lukashenko’s tough stance against corruption earned him a stunning victory in Belarus’ first presidential elections. Lukashenko has remained a firm dictatorial hand at the helm of his country throughout the stormy decades after the collapse of the Soviet Union, relying on ideological notions established in his youth. Belarus’ current President, Alexander Lukashenko, has been in office since 1994. He served in the Soviet Army and as the director of a state-owned agricultural enterprise before entering politics. Lukashenko and his mother were forced to fend for themselves after his father abandoned the family just a few years after WWII ended in a rural town in northern Belarus. Alexander Lukashenko was a lifelong follower of Leninist philosophy, enrolling in the Mogilev Teaching Institute after high school. Lukashenko spent three years as a political officer in the Soviet Border Guards after graduating. Lukashenko married Galina Zhelnerovich, his childhood sweetheart, after returning home. Lukashenko then rose through the ranks of the Komsomol, or Communist Youth Wing, to become its leader. Lukashenko afterwards joined a state-owned agricultural property to help support his growing family. Lukashenko was elected as a delegate to the Supreme Soviet of the Republic of Belarus and served as the chairman of a crucial anti-corruption committee after a stellar career overseeing a construction materials plant and a massive state-run farm complex. Only a year later, the Soviet Union disintegrated, and Lukashenko’s tough stance against corruption earned him a stunning victory in Belarus’ first presidential elections. Lukashenko has remained a firm dictatorial hand at the helm of his country throughout the stormy decades after the collapse of the Soviet Union, relying on ideological notions established in his youth.
Childhood and Adolescence
Alaxendar Lukashenko was born on August 30, 1954, in the Kopys village of the Belorussian Soviet Socialist Republic’s Vitebsk voblast. Lukashenko’s father and mother never married, and he was taunted and bullied by his peers as a result.
Lukashenko aspired to become a political teacher, a prominent job in the Soviet Union, after becoming a passionate follower of Vladimir Lenin’s ideas. In 1975, he graduated from the Mogilev Pedagogical Institute, and in 1985, he graduated from the Belarusian Agricultural Academy.
Career of Alexender
From 1975 to 1977, he was a member of the Soviet Border Troops, and from 1980 to 1982, he was a member of the Soviet Army. He left the army in 1982 to work as the vice chairman of a collective farm. He then rose to the position of director of a state-owned agriculture and building materials plant.
Lukashenko was voted to Belarus’ Supreme Soviet in 1990 and served as the chairman of a crucial anti-corruption committee.
Alexander Lukashenko won 80.3 percent of the vote in the second round to become the first president of independent Belarus on July 10, 1994, after a hard campaign against five other more senior contenders.
In 1996, Lukashenko abolished the parliament briefly before reconstituting it with more favorable deputies in the face of imminent impeachment.
Lukashenko closed the Drazdy Complex, a government complex that hosted the embassies of various countries, in July 1998. Several western countries, including the United States, expressed their displeasure with the shutdown by recalling their ambassadors and putting a broad travel ban on Lukashenko.
Lukashenko was re-elected president on September 9, 2001, after adopting a number of changes to solidify his power.
Belarusian voters adopted a constitutional reform in October 2004 that removed the term limit for presidents. Previously, the president was only allowed to serve two terms.
Lukashenko was elected to a third term in power with 86 percent of the vote on March 19, 2006, despite falsifying election results against him. Despite winning 93.5 percent of the vote, he desired a more modest triumph and urged the government to report an 86 percent result.
Lukashenko won an easy first-round victory on December 19, 2010, and was re-elected to a fourth term in power with 79.6% of the vote.
Lukashenko, who was initially friendly to Russian President Vladimir Putin, has emerged as a regional peace broker in the last year, mediating several major ceasefire agreements between government and rebel forces in neighboring Ukraine.
Alexender’s major projects
Despite being dubbed “Europe’s last tyrant,” Alexander Lukashenko has widespread support in Belarus for his steady leadership as the country transitioned from a Soviet satellite to a prominent player in eastern European politics. While most post-Soviet presidents have struggled to transition from authoritarian policies to free market economics and political discussion, which frequently result in revolutions and widespread civil upheaval, Lukashenko has successfully charted a medium road for Belarus.
Achievements & Awards
He has been in power for more than 20 years and has won four consecutive presidential elections in Belarus.
Personal History and Legacy
Lukashenko married Galina Zhelnerovich, his childhood sweetheart, in 1975. Viktor and Dmitry are the couple’s two kids. Despite the fact that they are still legally married, they have divorced.
Nikolai Lukashenko is Lukashenko’s illegitimate son. Nikolai’s mother is assumed to be Irina Abelskaya, who was once Lukashenko’s personal physician, though this has not been proven.
Estimated Net Worth
According to a Wikileaks cable, President Alexander Lukashenko has acquired a hidden fortune of $9 billion dollars after 20 years in power. Despite this, Lukashenko’s annual compensation as president is only $33,837, making him one of the world’s Top 10 Poorest Presidents.
Trivia
Lukashenko was the only local parliamentarian to vote against Belarus’ declaration of independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.
“Defeat the mafia against the conspiracy of the New World Order and Zionism!” was his presidential campaign slogan in 1994.
Lukashenko is openly biased against LGBT people, once saying on national television, “If a lady is a lesbian, it’s a man’s responsibility.” “It’s better to be a dictator than a homo,” he was once quoted as saying.