Government (Belarus)
====================


     Long-form name:
         Republic of Belarus
     Type:
         republic
     Capital:
         Mensk
     Administrative divisions:
         6 oblasts (oblastey, singular - oblast'); Brest, Gomel', Grodno, Minsk,
         Mogilev, Vitebsk; note - all oblasts have the same name as their
         administrative center
     Independence:
         1 January 1919 Belorussian Republic; 30 December 1922 joined with the USSR;
         25 August 1991 redeclared independence
     Constitution:
         adopted April 1978
     Legal system:
         based on civil law system
     National holiday:
         24 August (1991)
     Executive branch:
         NA
     Legislative branch:
         unicameral with 360 seats
     Judicial branch:
         NA
     Leaders:
       Chief of State:
         Chairman of the Supreme Soviet Stanislav S. SHUSHKEVICH (since NA 1991)
       Head of Government:
         Prime Minister Vyacheslav F. KEBICH (since NA April 1990), First Deputy
         Prime Minister Mikhail MYASNIKOVICH (since early 1991)
     Political parties and leaders:
         Belarusian Popular Front, Zenon POZNYAK, chairman; United Democratic Party,
         Stanislav GUSAK, co-chairman; Social Democratic Gramada, Mikhail TKACHEV,
         chairman; Belarus Workers Union, Mikhail SOBOL, Chairman
     Suffrage:
         universal at age 18
     Elections:
       President:
         NA
       Supreme Soviet:
         last held 4 March 1990 (next to be held NA); results - percent of vote by
         party NA; seats - (360 total) number of seats by party NA; note - 50 seats
         are for public bodies
     Communists:
         NA
     Other political or pressure groups:
         NA
     Member of:
         CE, CIS, CSCE, ECE, IAEA, ILO, INMARSAT, IOC, ITU, NACC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD,
         UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO
     Diplomatic representation:
         Ambassador Martynov; Chancery at NA NW, Washington, DC 200__; telephone NA
       US:
         Ambassador (vacant); David SWARTZ, Charge d'Affaires; Embassy at Hotel
         Belarus (telephone 8-011-7-0172-69-08-02) plus 7 hours; (mailing address is
         APO New York is 09862); telephone NA
     Flag:
         white, red, and white