Belarusian Agrarian Party

The Belarusian Agrarian Party (Russian: Белорусская аграрная партия, romanizedBelorusskaja agrarnaja partija; Belarusian: Беларуская аграрная партыя, romanizedBielaruskaja ahrarnaja partyja) was an agrarian socialist[1] political party in Belarus. It supported the government of Alexander Lukashenko.[2] The leader of the party was Mikhail Rusy, who succeeded Mikhail Shimansky on 15 March 2008.[3]

Belarusian Agrarian Party
Белорусская аграрная партия
Беларуская аграрная партыя
AbbreviationBAP (English)
БАП
LeaderMikhail Rusy
FounderSyamyon Sharetski
FoundedJune 13, 1992
DissolvedAugust 2023
Headquarters7th«A» Building, Fabriciusa St, Minsk, Belarus. 220007
Membership (2009)8,500
IdeologyAgrarian socialism
Pro-Lukashenko
Political positionLeft-wing
National affiliationRKSKPPGA
Colours  Red
  Green
House of Representatives
1 / 110
Local seats
1 / 18,110

In August 2023, the party dissolved itself.[4]

Ideology

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The party advocates the reform of society on the principles of democratic socialism, the restructuring of the economy on the basis of private and state ownership of the means of production, including land. In agriculture it recognizes the forms: production cooperative, joint-stock company, collective and state farm, peasant farm and small enterprise.

History

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It was created in 1992 as the United Agrarian Democratic Party of Belarus (Russian: Объединенная аграрно-демократическая партия Беларуси, romanizedObyedinennaya agrarno-demokraticheskaya partiya Belarusi; Belarusian: Аб'яднанная аграрно-демократическая партия Беларуси, romanizedAbjadnannaja ahrarno-diemokratičjeskaja partija Bielarusi).[5] On 28 January 1994, it changed its name into Agrarian Party.

At the legislative election in 1995, the party obtained 33 out of 198 seats.

The 1996 constitutional crisis split the party into those who supported Lukashenko and those who, together with Syamyon Sharetski (the first party chairman), remained in the Supreme Soviet.

Syamyon Sharetski did not recognize the results of the 1996 constitutional referendum and did not submit to the decision to dissolve the Supreme Soviet. In July 1999, as the head of the legitimate legislative body recognized by the West, Syamyon Sharetski was adopted in Lithuania, where he stayed for two years. In July 2001, Syamyon Sharetski left for the United States and ceased his political activities.

On September 22, 1999, the party was re-registered.

The IV Party Congress at the end of March 2000 announced its intention to cooperate with the authorities and elected Mikhail Shimansky as its chairman.

On June 12, 2009, the Ministry of Justice of Belarus issued a written warning in connection with the fact that the party did not submit information about its activities to the Ministry.

In 2000 and 2004 it only gained 5 and 3 seats in the House of Representatives, respectively. In 2008, the party was reduced to one seat. In the 2016 election, the party lost its remaining seat. It regained a seat in the assembly in the 2019 Belarusian parliamentary election.[6]

Electoral performance

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Presidential elections

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Election Candidate First round Second round Result
Votes % Votes %
1994 Alaksandar Dubko 353,119
5.98%
Lost  N
2001 Endorsed Alexander Lukashenko 4,666,680
75.65%
Elected  Y
2006 Endorsed Alexander Lukashenko 5,501,249
82.97%
Elected  Y
2010 Endorsed Alexander Lukashenko 5,130,557
79.65%
Elected  Y
2015 Endorsed Alexander Lukashenko 5,102,478
83.47%
Elected  Y
2020 Endorsed Alexander Lukashenko 4,661,075
80.10%
Elected  Y

Legislative elections

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Election Party leader Performance Rank Government
Votes % ± pp Seats +/–
1995 Syamyon Sharetski No data
13.1%
New
34 / 260
New 2nd Opposition
2000 Mikhail Shimansky No data
5 / 110
  29   2nd Support
2004 145,004
2.38%
  2.38
3 / 110
  2   2nd Support
2008 Mikhail Rusy 32,230
0.60%
  1.78
1 / 110
  2   2nd Coalition
2012 40,488
0.77%
  0.17
1 / 110
  0   3rd Support
2016 Did not contest Extra-parliamentary
2019 46,785
0.89%
  0.89
1 / 110
  1   5th Support

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Nordsieck, Wolfram (2019). "Belarus". Parties and Elections in Europe. Archived from the original on 3 September 2018. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
  2. ^ "Belarus". Archived from the original on 2 October 2014. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
  3. ^ "Новым старшынёй Аграрнай партыі абраны Міхаіл Русы" [Mikhail Rusy elected as the new chairman of the Agrarian Party]. euroradio.fm (in Belarusian). 15 March 2008. Archived from the original on 26 November 2015. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
  4. ^ "Провластная Белорусская аграрная партия решила самоликвидироваться". European Radio for Belarus. 9 September 2023. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
  5. ^ Feduta, Alexander; Boguzkij, Oleg; Martinowitsch, Wiktor (2003). "Politische Parteien in Belarus" (PDF) (in German). Friedrich Ebert Foundation. Archived (PDF) from the original on 30 October 2021. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  6. ^ "СВЕДЕНИЯ об избранных депутатах" (PDF). CEC Belarus. 18 November 2019. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 January 2020.