Belarus Civil Society: Rise or Fall? Expert-Analytical club | Belarus in Focus Information Office belarusinfocus.info - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from belarusinfocus.info Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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The demand for sociology has increased during the Belarusian socio-political crisis as various actors perceive it as a way to understand the ongoing changes within the Belarusian society and possibly to influence these changes. Amidst the repressive Belarusian laws which de facto forbid opinion surveys by the traditional sociological institutions, many new surveys using various online methods have appeared (by People’s Voice, the Voice, Chatham House, OSW). Earlier, the Belarusian regime got rid of the sociological service of the presidential Information-Analytical Center while restructuring it to the Belarusian Institute of Strategic Research (BISR). Now, however, the regime pays more attention to sociology as it announced a large-scale study before the ‘All-Belarusian People’s Assembly’.
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The All-Belarusian People s Assembly is scheduled for February 2021. Until now, it has been a ritual organ with no legal status used to express symbolic support for the regime. However, as the 2020 presidential elections demonstrated, even procedures controlled by the authorities can become a catalyst for protest mobilization. The authorities talked about giving the Assembly the constitutional status, while the opponents of the authorities talked about sanctions against all its delegates and holding alternative meetings.
Today’s open questions include:
1) What will be the final agenda of the All-Belarusian People s Assembly? Will it become another ritual of the approval of the five-years plan, or will important statements on political reforms be made on this platform?
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Amid a socio-political crisis, people mostly focus on tactical but not strategic issues. And the planning horizon of many actors has narrowed to the next week. However, one way or another, the crisis will be resolved, and the Belarusian society will face many global issues when restructuring the country.
Today’s open questions include:
What will be the key characteristics of future Belarus?
What will be the main challenges of future Belarus?
What are some of the unobvious changes in society and government that are important for the future of the country?