Cechy odmienne białoruskiego reżimu politycznego
Different characteristics of the Belarusian political regime

Summary/Abstract: This article is an analysis of the political regime in Belarus. This regime was formed as the result of political de-transformation, which means the transition from democratic or semi -democratic practices on the part of the authorities to a completely non-democratic government. The ongoing process of the evolution of this regime creates certain difficulties in its classification. It was described as totalitarian, sultanistic, populist, or hybrid. But the evolution of the regime, which has taken place during several years, has radically changed its inner structure, form, and functions. That is how a new stage of the regime has been formed. In this article it is defined as neo -authoritarianism. The neo -authoritarian regime in its Belarusian variant is characterized as the striving of the state authority for control over all aspects of the social life with the help of the different means of pressure (information, ideology, repression) upon the consciousness and behaviour of the people. At the same time, the political and social institutions peculiar to democratic states are being retained and used for extending the state’s sphere of control. When analyzing the neo -authoritarian regime in Belarus, it is necessary to emphasize that neo -authoritarianism does not mean a regression of the political system. On the contrary, this is a way of adaptation of the non -democratic regime to the democratic challenges and counteraction to them, first of all within society, by using different mechanisms of control and manipulation.

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