Lukashenko cultivates the image of “Batka” (Father); the presidential website says “this is what people with an authority and courage to protect their family and community were once called in our land.”
The unreformed economy may be crippling the country’s long-term development, but it still puts bread on the table of pensioners and workers of unprofitable, unmodernized factories who look at the instability of neighboring Ukraine and the unpredictable Russia with dismay.
The 61-year-old president has three sons: 39-year old Viktor, an adviser on the national security council; Dmitry, 35, a functionary with the national Olympic committee; and 11-year-old Nikolai, also known …read more
Source: San Francisco Chronicle
