Biography of the President of the Republic of Belarus

Aleksandr Lukashenko was born on 30 August 1954 in the town of Kopys, Orsha District, Vitebsk Oblast. He attended the secondary school in Alexandria, Shklov District. Throughout his childhood, he was involved in many activities, including sport and music. He was a great help for his mom who raised him alone.

Aleksandr Lukashenko has two university degrees. In 1975 the future President graduated from Kuleshov Mogilev State Pedagogical Institute where he majored in history. In 1985 he received a diploma of an economist from Belarusian Agricultural Academy.

In 1975 he was conscripted into the army where he served in the border troops. He was a political instructor in the Western Border District (Brest). In 1980-1982 he was deputy commander of a squadron (political officer) of a military unit of the Soviet Army.

Over 13 years, from 1977 to 1990, Aleksandr Lukashenko worked his way up through all the steps of the career ladder. He was Secretary of the Komsomol Committee of the Food Administration of Mogilev, instructor of the Oktyabrsky District Executive Committee of Mogilev, secretary of the Znanie public association of Shklov. He gained a wealth of first-hand experience serving as deputy chairman of the collective farm Udarnik, Shklov District, deputy director of the Shklov Construction Materials Factory, and secretary of the Communist Party of the Lenin collective farm. At the age of 33 Aleksandr Lukashenko was appointed director of the state farm Gorodets, Shklov District, which he led from 1987 to 1994.

In 1990, Aleksandr Lukashenko was elected member of the BSSR Supreme Council where he led the commission for examining the operation of commercial entities established under the auspices of state administration bodies. In June 1993, he took charge of the parliament’s anti-corruption commission.

On 10 July 1994, following a difficult election campaign involving five other candidates, Aleksandr Lukashenko was elected President of the Republic of Belarus. Aleksandr Lukashenko got 80.3% of the vote in the second round where he ran against Chairman of the Council of Ministers Vyacheslav Kebich. During his first years of presidency, he was fully focused on the key election pledge “to take the country back from the abyss”.

On 9 September 2001, Aleksandr Lukashenko was re-elected President of the Republic of Belarus with 75.6% of the vote. The main priority of Aleksandr Lukashenko’s second presidential term was to strengthen the national statehood relying on the robust social and economic development of the country. As a result, Belarus was the first country in the post-Soviet space to cope with economic devastation.

On 19 March 2006, Aleksandr Lukashenko was elected President of the Republic of Belarus for the third term with 83% of the vote. In the next five years, vigorous economic development helped improve living standards. De-bureaucratization was another important trend. Belarus finished its transition to a welfare state model.

On 19 December 2010, Aleksandr Lukashenko scored another convincing victory by securing 79.6% of the vote and was re-elected Belarusian Head of State. That period was marked by large-scale modernization and technical upgrade which helped the country overcome the aftermath of the global economic crises. The President initiated Eurasian integration projects. Ceasefire deals for eastern Ukraine were signed in Minsk. Belarus was recognized as a contributor to international security.

On 11 October 2015, Aleksandr Lukashenko was once again elected President of the Republic of Belarus, winning 83.5% of the vote. Belarus has entered a new technological stage: the country is promoting digital economy and nuclear industry. Amidst a difficult international situation, Belarus is defending its national interests, strengthening its sovereignty and independence and improving its position on the international arena.

On 9 August 2020, Aleksandr Lukashenko got 80.1% of the vote at the presidential election. In spite of the existing challenges, including under the influence of the coronavirus pandemic and the global economic crisis, a lot is being done in Belarus to ensure the sustainable operation of the economy and to keep the social vector. Important social and political transformations were launched. In the foreign policy, the country remains open for constructive and mutually beneficial cooperation with absolutely all partners and committed to existing allied relations.