Aleksandr Lukashenko

Aleksandr Lukashenko is the Belarussian leader. Although not a Communist, his policies are perhaps comparable to later Soviet-style ones, and his stance as president is increasingly becoming more aloof and autocratic: it is not for nothing that Belarus is called 'Europe's last dictatorship' by much of the West.

Lukashenko is a leading advocate for further integration with Russia, having already joined the country's economy with that of its old overlord. It is widely believed that the last Belarussian general election, in 2001, was rigged, and freedom of speech is becoming an increasing rarity in the country, with almost all the media state-controlled and a heavy secret police presence.