Political situation: the most notable trends in 2014

In 2014, the most notable trends in 2014 in Belarusian politics were:

– Electoral support for President Lukashenko rose amid a fall in real incomes and a high level of demand for change within Belarusian society persisted;

– Belarusian society were deeply divided over the events in Ukraine and attitudes among supporters and opponents of the incumbent president were polarised;

– The government paid more attention to public safety, for example, by strengthening the roles of law enforcement agencies and intelligence services in public administration;

– The authorities tentatively distanced themselves from the “Russian World” and initiated nation-building, inter alia, by incorporating some values of their opponents in the state paradigm;

– Minsk grew in importance through its attempts to ensure regional security and to preserve a balanced position in the Russo-Ukrainian confrontation;

– Contacts with Western capitals were more frequent as Belarus sought to normalise relations on her own terms;

– Belarus became more engaged in Eurasian integration and more dependent on the Kremlin.