BELARUS: THE PARALLAX VIEW

The Belarusian opposition lost one of its most prominent activists this week. Aliaksandr Milinkevich, who has died at the age of 79, stood in the country's 2006 presidential election as a consensus oppositional candidate. He later received the European Union's Sakharov Prize for his commitment to human rights and democracy.

The Belarusian opposition has not always unified behind a single candidate to stand against the country's dictator, Alyaksandr Lukashenka. When they have, as in 2006, it supplies a focal point to organise round. The election more squarely comes down to a referendum on the status quo, rather than splitting the opposition voters. It is easier for foreign audiences to grasp what the alternative to the incumbent might look like, despite knowing that the vote count will be rigged to ensure Lukashenka's 'victory'.

At the time of Milinkevich's death, the ruling regime in Belarus looks relatively stable. The centrepiece of the political apparatus, shoring up Lukashenka's grip on the country, is the Presidential Administration (hereafter: the PA). In this post, I comment on an excellent think tank report published recently about this key state body. (This text was ready to go, forgive me the tenuous lead-in on Milinkevich; this blog post is not about the opposition.)

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